It's a Long way up!

07/25/2018 By DrPowercat
Long's Peak has been on my list of must do hikes for a long time. I've done most of the easy 14ers and after doing another Class 3 hike last summer, we decided to make this 14er number 34 to start our climbing season this year. Started at 2:30am and made it to the top at 8:30. Not bad for a couple of guys from Kansas City. The hike was as advertised. That stretch after the keyhole took some effort, but as usual, the views from the top and the sense of accomplishment were well worth it. Email has been sent and photos from the top will be added. Thanks for keeping this one going.
Easy favorite.
DrPowercat & Colorado Cobra on Long's Peak

06/28/2018 By robuster91
wow what a hike that was tough incredible views from the top wish i had not dropped my camera on the rocks near the keyhole route all well thanks for the cache now to go home and rest wow

11/13/2017 By COpackrat
Yes, it's a long way up, and can be a bit steep, too! I guess it's about time that I log this virtual. Longs Peak was the first 14'er I climbed in Colorado and it was very exciting! I stayed overnight in the Boulder Field, and proceeded to the summit the next day. What a treat to reach the summit! Since then I've been back numerous times, including routes on the East Face and the Diamond – now, that's what I mean by some are a bit steep!! :-) Thanks for the virtual up here – answers are on the way.

09/20/2017 By animjason
I am SO happy to turn this icon into a smiley face! I got permission from trailfrogs (the cache owner) to log this one. I have hiked this difficult 14er back in college when I was going to CSU. I didn't know about caching, so obviously don't know the answer to the virtual.

Fortunately, the CO was kind enough for me to use some "proxy legs" since I have actually done the hike, but my health no longer allows for a journey this long with this terrain. I can still do the "easy" 14ers, but unfortunately this one isn't in the cards for me to repeat.

One of my nurses was my proxy legs, and I gave her the coordinates to explore, and let me know what was there. Answers were sent, thanks to her photos and phone call. Permission was granted. Cache is now logged.

Cache find #9100 and an amazing journey. Thanks again trailfrogs, gets a fave for the view and keeping this one active for so long.

09/02/2017 By M_Dundee
Travelinghiker and I returned to complete the climb of Longs; three years ago we turned around due to ice on the Homestretch. After two hours sleep we left the TH at 12:20 AM and arrived at the Keyhole just before 6 AM sunrise. Summit was reached at 8:25 AM. After taking some photos and finding the virtual we began the descent and reached the TH at 4:20 PM. Being Labor Day weekend and perfect weather there many climbers though we had very few people jams. TFTC
Descending the Homestretch

08/31/2017 By Pale Raven
Flew into Denver for our annual Colorado 14ers trip. Didn't get much sleep the night before the trip. Flew in late and slept in the car at the trailhead (straight up) for about 1.5 hours before starting the hike well before sunrise. I was exhausted and much slower than normal, but we made it to the summit anyways. The keyhole route is an excellent route and there were a handful of good people that we met along the way. We did run into a bit of rain on our way back down, but we were prepared with rain pants and rain jackets. Spent the next day sightseeing through Rocky Mountain National Park before bagging Bierstadt, Mount of the Holy Cross, Grays and Torreys in the next few days. TFTC! Answer sent.

08/27/2017 By benji55545
Longs has been on the todo list since I moved here a couple years ago. It's hard to look at the mountain so often and never actually visit it. I snowshoed up to Chasm Lake last winter. By chance, my roommate decided to attempt to summit the same day, after camping in the Boulder Field. They were turned back by the intense winds and cold. Not surprising, sheesh!

I returned to the Longs trailhead with a group of friends. The 5 of us started the hike at 3:30 and made it to the Keyhole at Sunrise. We pushed up the Trough, tiptoed our way across the Narrows and up the Homestretch and before we knew it we were on the top! It was unquestionably a very long day, but the adventure made it go by very quickly.
Sunrise from the Boulder Field

Stanley taking a break on the way up

On the summit of Longs

Some ornery llamas we met on the way down

08/30/2016 By WingsAndTales
Yes, it is! A long way up that is! I tried it last year and only made it as far as the keyhole. I came back this year and despite some recent snow managed to make it to the summit while a very patient friend waited at the keyhole shelter. I expected my legs to be sore but my arms and shoulders are sore too. That was my 23rd fourteener and definitely the hardest one so far. There were lots of clouds so the views weren't as good as I had hoped. I'll post a shot from a brief clear moment as I started down. Email sent. TFTC
Photo

07/25/2016 By rack00n
A little late in logging but we made it! We loved this hike and coming through the rocky mountain national park we knew we just had to get to the top. With a bit of careful waiting for the right weather window we made the summit just after 9am. Manage to also sneak a quick trip to the lake on the way back down too. Thanks so much for this cache we loved it :) gets a fav point from us!!
Photo

07/14/2016 By bugrad2023
Ok, I have finally gotten around to logging this amazing cache. Climbing Longs Peak has been the most fun and yet most crazy, scary, nerve-wracking thing I have ever done in my almost 16 years of life.

I came to Colorado with my cross country team from Affton High School in St. Louis, Missouri. It was me, six teammates, and my coach. Only my coach, three other teammates, and myself made it all the way to the peak. We stayed in Estes Park and did many hike/runs. We hiked Longs Peak on our fourth and final day.

We started the hike at about 3 A.M. We got to the Boulderfield at around 7. We had the pleasure of watching the sunrise and seeing the light come back. We stopped at the restrooms at the Boulderfield and had some food, rested for about 10 minutes, and trekked on. We reached the Keyhole by about 8. This is where we lost three members of the team. I was really considering not going on. It was very windy at the Keyhole. Probably like 40 mph. Eventually, I mustered up the courage to go on to the Ledges. I was elated when I found out it was not very windy after we got past the Keyhole. After the Ledges, we arrived at the bottom of the Trough. Climbing the Trough seemed endless. Somehow, we finally reached the top of the Trough. We went around the corner, and... The Narrows! An even higher drop-off and harder than the Ledges. We navigated our way through the Ledges and got to the base of the Homestretch. Eventually, around 10:30, we reached the summit. It was amazing. So many views and so much natural beauty. We walked around on the summit for about 15 minutes, just letting everything soak in. Then, we made our way down the mountain. We reached the parking lot by about 3 P.M.

This was quite possibly the best day of my life to date. I have a lot of pictures to add. Thank you so much for placing a cache up here. It just put a cherry on top of this whole experience.
At the Parking Lot

Sunrise

On the Way Up

Entering Boulderfield

Boulderfield

The Keyhole

View From the Keyhole

View From the Top of the Trough

One of My Favorite Views

06/06/2016 By bulwyie
Been to the summit 13 times in all seasons!

09/12/2015 By Tom.dog
Made the summit a few minutes before 0900. Summiting Longs has been a goal of mine for many years now; excellent and challenging hike & climb the whole way. Thoroughly enjoyed it all, and the cache is an added bonus! Many thanks for the virtual cache! E-mail sent.