Mr. Guidespud conquers Mount Elbert

Top of the Rockies

Want to knock-out, bag, conquer the highest peak in the Rockies? Look no further. This guide will help you prepare for the adventure.

I decided to kick off my summer adventure by climbing Mount Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado. It is located in Lake County, approximately 10 miles southwest of Leadville in the Sawatch Range within the San Isabel National Forest. Mount Elbert is the second highest mountain in the contiguous United States, after Mount Whitney in California, and is but 65 feet shorter than Whitney’s 14,505 feet. Elbert is a fairly easy climb (after adjusting to its elevation— beware of Altitude sickness), and is popular with hikers.

There are three routes up the mountain. The standard route ascends the peak from the east via the East Ridge. The most difficult is the Black Cloud Trail, which takes ten to fourteen hours, depending on the pace. The third option up is the North Mt. Elbert Trailhead (North Halfmoon Creek trail). Since this is my first attempt of climbing Mount Elbert, or any 14er, I decided to summit via the East Ridge.

The main difficulty is the high elevation. Otherwise, the route leading up from Half-Moon Campground on the north or the East Ridge offer easy day hikes. There can be some snowfields along the way in early season, and the routes sometimes get crowded, but beyond that perhaps no other high peak of a comparable mountain range offers such an easy ascent.

STAY TUNED…photos to follow.

Camping

Primitive camping is allowed pretty much anywhere on the mountain. Avoid camping along the 4wd road, next to a trail, or in the parking areas.

Not up for rough’n it? There are several Forest Service campgrounds nearby requiring fees. The closest to the South Mt. Elbert trail is Lakeview Campground. Lakeview has a campground host from May 15 until September 8. It has 59 sites at $12.00/night and will accomodate an RV up to 32 ft. Drinking water, pit and flushing toilets, no showers. The closest campgrounds to Halfmoon Creek and North Mt. Elbert Trailheads are Halfmoon Creek Campground and Elbert Creek Campground located on the road to the trailheads. Elbert Creek has 17 sites at $11.00/night and will accomodate up to a 16 ft trailer. Open from May 30 to September 30, it has drinking water, pit toilets, but no showers. Halfmoon Creek has 24 sites at $11.00/night and will accomodate up to 16 ft trailer. Open from May 20 to September 30, it has drinking water, pit toilet, but no showers.

There are approximately nine other Forest Service campgrounds nearby. Call the Forest Service at (719) 486-0749 or see their website. They will send you a packet with free information.

When to climb

As with most Colorado high peaks, June through September is considered the summer climbing season. However, Mt. Elbert is also climbed in the dead of winter by experienced mountaineers. It is a popular ski mountaineering destination due to low avalanche danger on several of the routes. Louis Dawson recommends using the South Mt. Elbert Trail and the North Mt. Elbert Trail for winter ascents. Violent thunderstorms are a daily occurance in summer. Plan to be off the summit or ridges by early afternoon to avoid lightning danger. Start very early and allow 6-8 hours for climb and descent.

Mountain Conditions

There is no substitute for getting an early start, and getting as much of the mountain “behind you” as early in the day as possible. Keep a good eye on the sky as weather conditions can deteriorate rapidly. The greatest weather danger is from lightning strikes, and climbers are killed almost every summer in Colorado by lightning strikes. July seems to be the most deadly month for lightning.

The following important information from Gerry Roach’s book “Colorado’s Fourteeners From Hikes to Climbs” bears repeating:

Colorado is famous for apocalyptic lightning storms that threaten not just your life, but your soul as well. This section will have special meaning if you have ever been trapped by a storm that endures for more than an hour and leaves no gap between one peal of thunder and the next. The term simultaneous flash-boom has a very personal meaning for many Colorado Climbers.

Dangers

1. Lightning is dangerous!
2. Lightning is the greatest external hazard to summer mountaineering in Colorado.
3. Lightning kills people every year in Colorado’s mountains.
4. Direct hits are usually fatal.

Precautions

1. Start early! Be off summits by noon and back in the valley by early afternoon.
2. Observe thunderhead buildup carefully, noting speed and direction; towering thunderheads with black bottoms are bad.
3. When lightning begins nearby, turn around. If you can see lightning you are already too close.
4. Get off summits and ridges and below tree line as quickly as possible

Protection

1. You cannot outrun a storm; physics wins.
2. When caught, seek a safe zone in the 45-degree cone around an object 5 to 10 times your height.
3. Be aware of ground currents; the current from a ground strike disperses along the ground or cliff, especially in wet cracks.
4. Wet ropes are good conductors.
5. Snow is not a good conductor.
6. Separate yourself from metal objects.
7. Disperse the group. Survivors can revive one who is hit.
8. Crouch on boot soles, ideally on dry, insulating material such as moss or grass. Dirt is better than rock. Avoid water.

Other Precautions

Altitude Sickness:
Headache is a primary symptom used to diagnose altitude sickness, although headache is also a symptom of dehydration. To learn more visit WebMD at:
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/altitude-sickness-topic-overview

Hypothermia:
Cotton kills. DO NOT WEAR COTTON! Early signs of hypothermia include cold and pale skin and intense shivering. As body temperature continues to fall, speech becomes slurred, the victim becomes disoriented and experiences
eyesight problems. Wearing clothing that wicks away moisture is one way that helps prevent hypothermia.

Water intoxication and Hyponatremia:
Drinking too much water can lead to a condition known as water intoxication and to a related problem resulting from the dilution of sodium in the body. Water intoxication and hyponatremia result when a dehydrated person drinks too much water without the accompanying electrolytes.