A Solo Summit of Longs Peak
On Thursday, July 27, 2006, I set out on a journey that 10,000 adventurers hope to complete each year. I feel totally gratified knowing that I'm one of only 3,000 people to reach the goal--the summit of Longs Peak in
The hike from the trailhead at the ranger’s station to the summit is 8 miles each way. Most hikers begin the hike around 2:00am (that’s right!), so they can reach the summit and return below tree line before the frequent afternoon lightning storms. I knew from the get-go that to really enjoy this hike, it would be best to break it into an overnight backpacking adventure. So, we started the moderately strenuous part of the hike around 2:00pm on a Thursday afternoon, with the plan of hiking to and camping at the boulder field at mile 6 the first day and summiting the peak and hiking out the following day. Tom told me later that he was ready to say “F**K IT!” ten steps into the hike. Nice.
First things first—a little bit about Rocky Mountain NP. If you’ve ever experienced high-altitude, you know that just driving around in it is mildly strenuous, so you can imagine how climbing uphill for six miles with a heavy pack might be wicked exhausting. It feels like you are underwater to your chin and you can’t quite catch your breath. Totally weird.
So, on top of the regular weirdness you feel when at a high altitude, here we are, with a 40-50 pound-pack on each of our backs, on a steady uphill grade for about 3.5 hours. I’ll admit that at the beginning of every backpacking trip, especially starting uphill at the first step on the trail, I think to myself “This is WAY stupid!”
We stopped a few times during the first two miles of trail, which were a REAL challenge. Before your body settles into the weight and activity level, every step is a struggle that sends your hear fluttering and causes you to pant. Once you get your pace going, your heartbeat and breathing regulate, which allows you to maintain your pace and cover lots of ground enjoying every step forward—and I did!
The real reward is turning around and looking back at where you came from. YOU did it. You didn’t need a car or elevator or airplane to take you there. You put all the shit on your back that you need to maintain yourself for the next few days and you go. You go without a lot, and that’s part of the fun. It’s part of the reward. It allows you to appreciate the things in life that are always taken for granted. You’ll have your best fresh popped popcorn, the best fruit, the best beer of your life on a backpacking trip. That’s why I do it—I like to feel how good the simple things REALLY ARE.
We passed a herd of 50 or so grazing and playing elk around mile 4.5 and stopped for a break at mile 5. At this point, we had a great sunset-colored view of
As soon as the sun started to go down it got REALLY cold. The temperature probably dropped to about 40 degrees that night. The stars out there were AMAZING. I’ve never seen anything like it. We were miles from any light pollution and it was the most incredible night sky I’ve ever seen. It reminded me of the glow in the dark stars my sister stuck on her bedroom ceiling at my parents’ house. The stars were unbelievably bright.
The next morning, we woke up at the crack and got our shit together. We ate peanut butter on squashed hot dog rolls mixed with bugs for breakfast. (yes. I enjoyed it). I was SUPER jealous of the people next door who were having hot beverages. We probably should have carried a small stove rather than a flask of tequila. Yeah.
Despite his altitude sickness, Tom was in for trying for the Keyhole. I was glad. The .3 mile climb from the Boulder Field to the Keyhole was fairly labor intensive, even with only a daypack. It was all boulder-hopping and climbing with your whole body over giant hunks of rock. The sub-alpine trail was marked with
The most difficult portion of the hike began at the Keyhole, 6.2 miles into the hike. Unfortunately, Tom was not feeling well enough to go on, and decided to head back down to the Boulder Field. I didn’t come this far to turn back at the Keyhole and I wasn’t feeling the altitude, so I forged ahead. No technical climbing is required to reach the summit of 
Just beyond the 
When I got to the point where I only had about 10 super steep-steps to the top, I counted out loud and said, “motherf***er” A LOT. I felt GREAT when I reached the top! I was the third woman to summit that day and people were surprised to see my small head when I came over that ledge. One guy said, “it’s pretty great…not much could make this better.” I said, “how ‘bout a cooler of ice cold beer?” Everyone agreed that an ice cold beer could DEFINITELY make this better. :) 
I signed the register! (below)
I enjoyed a snack and a view of 
This guy I passed on the trail earlier took my picture at the very tippy top of