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Ascent of Mount Elbert on 2012-09-09

Climber: Tye Scott

Date:

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Ascent Type:

Successful Summit Attained

Motorized Transport to Trailhead:

Car

Peak:

Mount Elbert

Location:

USA-Colorado

Elevation:

14433 ft / 4399 m

Ascent Trip Report

Drove just beyond the Lakes Campground for a south Mt. Elbert accent. From the parking lot just beyond the campground it is 11. 2 miles. However, I decided to drive the extra 2 miles up the dirt road for the 7.6 mile approach (the Kia Soul rental made it just fine). For those of you driving up to the shorter route...drive just shy of 2 miles up the dirt road and pull off to the right when the road forks. You'll know you're in the right location if you see Mt. Elbert signs at the trailhead.

As for the hike, I hit the trail about a quarter after 8. Beautiful clear skies, about 38 degrees, and perfect. The parking lot was full and I hit the trailhead with about 6 other people. The first mile leads you up through the tree line which was full of fall colors. Once you break out into the open you immediately get some great views. It also starts to get steeper at this point but nothing you haven't already hiked to this point. There really aren't any surprises on this one. You can pretty much see the HP once you break out into the open. If you want a nearby mountain to gauge your accent the one just to the south is about 500' shorter.

Talked with a lot of friendly people along the trail who were from all over. Quick up and down with about a 30 minute break at the top for some chatting, pics, and sun.

Summary Total Data

Elevation Gain:

4000 ft / 1220 m

Distance:

7.6 mi / 12.2 km

Route:

South

Trailhead:

10433 ft / 3179 m

Route Conditions:

Maintained Trail

Weather:

Cool, Calm, Clear

Ascent Statistics

Time Up:

1 Hours 55 Minutes

Descent Statistics

Time Down:

1 Hours 20 Minutes

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