Ascent of Mount Elbert on 2012-09-20Others in Party: | Joe Moeggenberg
| Date: | Thursday, September 20, 2012 | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | Peak: | Mount Elbert | Location: | USA-Colorado | Elevation: | 14433 ft / 4399 m |
Ascent Trip ReportHeaded out from Denver after a work meeting with the boss. Rented rooms at the Alps Motel ($65) and had dinner at the Tennessee Pass restaurant. Food was so good that we had breakfast there the next morning. Got to the trailhead and started up around 9. Trail was in good condition and had a nice hike up to about 13,000 feet. Here we took a short rest and saw the "King of the Mountain", the biggest marmot I had ever seen. Joes legs were starting to bother him a bit, so we took it easy on the steeper part around 13,500 feet. Some snow high, but nothing to worry about. Made the summit around 2pm, and had a wonderful tour of the nearby mountains by a nice guy who was originally from Bethlehem PA, just up the road 10 or so miles from my house. Couldn't find the summit register, and only found a reference mark. I think the summit benchmark is under a windbreak/cairn. Too bad. Heading down, Joe's legs were cramping up a bit, so we fashioned a a pair of hiking sticks out of fallen pine branches. Made it down and back to the Red Robin in Denver by 9pm. |
Summary Total Data | Total Elevation Gain: | 4393 ft / 1338 m | Round-Trip Distance: | 9 mi / 14.5 km | Route: | Northeast Ridge | Trailhead: | North Ebert Creek Trailhead 10040 ft / 3060 m | Route Conditions: | Maintained Trail | Weather: | Cool, Breezy, Clear | Ascent Statistics | Time: | 4 Hours 45 Minutes | Descent Statistics | Time: | 3 Hours 15 Minutes |
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