Hiking in the shadow of Longs Peak...RMNP

[maineguy]

I took advantage of spectacular weather this week to visit RMNP, and specifically hike to Chasm Lake. The timed entry system is no longer in effect for the park so that eliminates a lot of the hassle of doing this hike. Chasm Lake sits in a cirque at the bottom of the eastern face of Longs Peak (probably the most climbed 14er in CO). In the summer at the peak of the climbing season, the trailhead parking lot fills up very early, as most climbers leave in the 2-3AM time frame. I was surprised and pleased to find the parking lot mostly empty upon arrival at around 8:30 AM. Apparently, the climbing season is over for all but the most experienced mountaineers due to ice and snow on the route.

The lake sits at about 11,800 feet and is directly beneath east face (the diamond) of Longs. The trail ascends on a gradual but steady uphill climb and breaks out in the open after after about an hour or so. At Chasm Junction (9405), the trail splits off and heads to either Chasm Lake or the Longs Peak Keyhole route. The trail to the lake traverses a pretty steep slope with a substantial drop off on one side. In the winter this is a pretty dicey traverse. The official trail ends just before a steep but short scramble up to the lake. This was complicated by the presence of ice and it took a while to figure out a way up. There is no yellow paint and only the occasional cairn.

The view from the lake was breathtaking, but I was unable to capture it with the camera. The walls of the peak extend upwards of around 2500 feet straight up from the lake, so I couldn't fit it all in. You can google the view as photographed by experts. In one of the attached pics (9386), you can see the Twin Sisters that I hiked a couple of weeks ago. The only wildlife seen on this trip were a herd of Elk sauntering across the highway near the trailhead.

 

[sierra]

That looks really cool in there, didn't realize it was that tough to get in there. I miss the open landscape of the CO high country; it makes you feel small.

 

[skiguy]

I took advantage of spectacular weather this week to visit RMNP, and specifically hike to Chasm Lake. The timed entry system is no longer in effect for the park so that eliminates a lot of the hassle of doing this hike. Chasm Lake sits in a cirque at the bottom of the eastern face of Longs Peak (probably the most climbed 14er in CO). In the summer at the peak of the climbing season, the trailhead parking lot fills up very early, as most climbers leave in the 2-3AM time frame. I was surprised and pleased to find the parking lot mostly empty upon arrival at around 8:30 AM. Apparently, the climbing season is over for all but the most experienced mountaineers due to ice and snow on the route.

The lake sits at about 11,800 feet and is directly beneath east face (the diamond) of Longs. The trail ascends on a gradual but steady uphill climb and breaks out in the open after after about an hour or so. At Chasm Junction (9405), the trail splits off and heads to either Chasm Lake or the Longs Peak Keyhole route. The trail to the lake traverses a pretty steep slope with a substantial drop off on one side. In the winter this is a pretty dicey traverse. The official trail ends just before a steep but short scramble up to the lake. This was complicated by the presence of ice and it took a while to figure out a way up. There is no yellow paint and only the occasional cairn.

The view from the lake was breathtaking, but I was unable to capture it with the camera. The walls of the peak extend upwards of around 2500 feet straight up from the lake, so I couldn't fit it all in. You can google the view as photographed by experts. In one of the attached pics (9386), you can see the Twin Sisters that I hiked a couple of weeks ago. The only wildlife seen on this trip were a herd of Elk sauntering across the highway near the trailhead.

Great Trip Report and great pics. You ought to doing the Keyhole. Such a classic route. Lots of SOTA possibilities out there in your new area.

 

[maineguy]

That looks really cool in there, didn't realize it was that tough to get in there. I miss the open landscape of the CO high country; it makes you feel small.

I didn't mean to give the impression that it was a particularly tough hike. I mean, really, the trails out here are so much easier on the body than in the East. It's just that there seems to be more scrambling required as well as route finding. Also, the weather (at least in summer) is so much easier on the body. You hardly sweat at all because of the low dew points.

 

[maineguy]

Great Trip Report and great pics. You ought to doing the Keyhole. Such a classic route. Lots of SOTA possibilities out there in your new area.

Yeah, I think that the Keyhole may be just a little out of my comfort zone. Not technically challenging, but there is some serious exposure that I am not accustomed to. I was planning on hiking over to the Keyhole to have a look at the route, but spent too much time at the lake.

I don't have a rig for SOTA (summits on the air for you non hams) except maybe my old HT. I used to use it all the time in the Whites back in the late 80s to early 90s. I would be able to bring up repeaters in NY, Canada, etc. It was really a lot of fun. Once talked to a guy in the LL Bean parking lot from the top of Katahdin.

 

[Ear Drum]

Great report! We did this hike in mid-June last year, and that steep sidehill traverse was dicey, with mashed potatoes snow by afternoon. Absolutely spectacular place. Thanks for the photos.