Mount Elbert is the highest peak in the American Rockies and of Colorado, and just misses being the highpoint of the lower-48 states by about 60 feet. Despite its height it is one of the easier and nicer big 14er peaks to be climbed, due to a selection of good trails, no technical sections, and an overall beautiful setting. I was here by dint of a lucky coin at the Gila River Casino south of Phoenix, where $10 won me $400. I parlayed that into two highpoint trips: here, and to Boundary Peak, Nevada a week later.

When I left Phoenix we were in the middle of a near record-setting string of consecutive 110-or-higher degree days, including one memorable afternoon when we hit 121 F, the second hottest day on record for Phoenix (it was 122 back in June, 1990). Thus, I was more than happy to get out of town for the weekend for a respite from the heat. Landing in Colorado Springs (after a very bumpy, turbulent descent), the cool air there was heaven. Finding a hotel to stay in was trickier, since they were all filled up for some reason. I ended up staying in Manitou Springs up the highway into the mountains a little bit. The next day I drove into Leadville and spent the day exploring Leadville and the surrounding region, including some time checking out the location of the trailhead. Mainly I wanted to get some acclimitazion to the elevation. I stayed at some neat little cabins in the middle of nowhere, at a junction of highways south of Leadville. These cabins were reasonably close to the southern trailhead.

Very early the next morning I awoke and got my stuff together, and arrived at the trailhead in the dark, still not yet 5 a.m. I wanted a very early start knowing I had over 5,000 feet of gain going this route. The parking area is small and I was the only one there. Scouting the trailhead the previous day helped because in the dark I would have had no idea where the trail actually started. Soon I was on my up the fine trail. For the first couple miles and 1,500 feet of gain or so, it just makes very long switchbacks up the mountain slopes through the thick forest. I had essentially no views so I just concentrated on putting in the miles.

In time the forest grew sparser and the trail grade moderated slightly, and I had my first remarkable views into the valley below and the big 14er peaks across the way. The trail swings "inward" and works its way up a drainage paralleling a creek for a ways, eventually ending near a decrepit shack at the base of giant talus fields. The trees here were stunted and sparse, the effects of being so near tree line. I was making great time.

The real climnbing begins after the shack, as the trail works its way steeply through the talus and up some very steep slopes, eventually gaining onto the main ridge at over 13,000 feet elevation. I was forced to take shelter for about 10 minutes in some trees while a small rain cloud passed through, dropping its load. I was not too concerned about bad weather yet; all looked pretty good despite the little rainmaker I experienced.

Once on the ridge at 13,000 feet, I turned left and started the final segment of the climb, following the trail along the ridge to the summit. The trail works up and down a few bumps, some over 14,000 feet but without the necessary prominence required to be a "separate peak". The final mile and 600 feet went slow for me as I was finally being knocked back by the elevation. I would stop every minute or so to catch my breath, but I did make steady forward progress and it was just a matter of time until I reached the summit, which I did at 11 a.m. When I got to the top there were about 5 or 6 people there, all having come up the other routes. The top was a nice little rocky knob with room to sit and relax. The views were stunning, looking out among all sorts of other 14er peaks, some no more than a few feet lower than Elbert!

After a period of rest I got moving for the descent. I followed the trail all the way down, making very good time despite my fatigue, gravity helping of course. Coming down I met others for the first time today on this trail. My descent hike went without incident and I was back to my car about 3 p.m., tired but elated. My Elbert hike had gone very well without any mishap and I was very grateful for that.

From here I drove out to Colorado Springs and stayed one more night in town, then flew home to Phoenix later in the afternoon, back to the blast furnace.