Longs Peak, RMNP and Gear Comments

I attempted to run up Longs Peak this weekend via the 15mile RT Keyhole rout. I say attempted because while my heart rate was elevated the entire time I wasn't necessarily "running". Longs Peak is in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) and is 14,259ft high. It was the 3rd 14er I have been able to summit. The mountain has got some world famous climbing routs on it's east face known as "The Diamond". I have hopes of getting up one of those routs this season but time will tell.

The "route brochure" published by the National Park service stated:

Begin your climb no later than 3 a.m. to be off the summit early in the day. Time for the 15-mile round-trip averages 10 to 15 hours.

The Keyhole Route is NOT a hike! It is a climb that crosses enormous sheer vertical rock faces, often with falling rocks, requiring scrambling, where an unroped fall would likely be fatal. The route has narrow ledges, loose rock, and steep cliffs. The terrain requires good route-finding and scrambling skills. Use caution, as injuries requiring rescue are very dangerous and take many hours, if not days, to evacuate.

I drove up from Denver area and arrived at the trail head around 7:30am. I was hoping to get an earlier start due to the all too common afternoon storms that roll through alpine areas like this, but the gravity of my bed didn't allow me to get up until 5:15am.  I hit the trail around 7:45. The first 20-30 minutes of every run are, in my opinion, one of the more difficult periods of every run and starting at 9,400ft doesn't help. [**Physiology Review: This makes sense because going from resting to jogging instantly causes the muscles to start consuming more oxygen and producing more carbon dioxide. This rapid decrease in oxygen forces the cells to transition to anaerobic respiration which allows the body to create energy without oxygen. The process is less effective than aerobic respiration (with oxygen) and produces lactic acid. Lactic acid makes you feel crappy. It takes the body awhile to get triggered by the increased amounts of carbon dioxide in the blood, causing an increase in cardiac and respiratory function. Until the body gets back to equilibrium you feel like you are totally out of shape and shouldn't be attempting what you have just started.] 

The route gets above the tree line fast and you have full view of the east face only a few miles in. As I moved up the trail I did as I usually do and listened to podcasts. This adventure had me listening to "The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe" which was absolutely mind stimulating.  I worked my way up through the "keyhole" and onto the backside where I followed bullseyes painted on the rocks through the "The Ledges", "The Trough", "The Narrows" and "The Homestretch". The route followed various broad ramps and ledges across an exposed face, headed up a steep rocky gully, traversed another series of ramps and then headed up a smoother face to the summit. There was a decent amount of people on the route that I hoofed past on my way up and down, some even with helmets and ice axes. It was a great climb/run!

First sighting of Longs.

Above the tree line. 

"The Ledges". Notice the bulls-eye on the left. 

Heading up "The Trough" section.

"Narrows" section. 

Distorted panorama from the top. 

Summit pic.

I reached the summit, in around 2:30, a few minutes behind a local runner who I had passed at the start of the trail, that later passed me just before the Keyhole. He mentioned that he runs the route all the time which made me feel somewhat accomplished. [That feeling of accomplishment was later completely dashed when I learned that the fastest known time(FKT), car to car, was 1:56:46 by Andy Anderson with a 1:14 ascent, the same guy that owns the FKT for the Grand Teton]. About half the way down I started to feel the elevation a little and had to back off. I was starting to get a little "stumbly" which could easily end my mountain play season with one misstep. The Colorado native passed me and I just tried to maintain control and finish it out. I reached the TH with a total time of approx 4:40. I was happy with it.

Stats:
Distance: 15miles
Time: Approx 4hrs 40min
Summit time: Approx 2hrs 30min
Elevation Gain: 5,100ft

During this outing I was also able to check out Rocky Mountain National Park(RMNP). It is a beautiful place, reminding me a lot of Glacier National Park with roads that would put you high up on the mountain tops. I met up with a fellow podiatry colleague and we did some hikes and outran a few rain storms. Here are a few pictures.

Up above a high mountain lake in RMNP.

Stupid mountain fun.....

Quick comments on some gear:

NATHAN  HLP #020 Hydration Vest

This was my first time using a running vest. I got it as an early birthday present and loved it! Here are a few reasons why:

1. The name "NATHAN" is a strong name. 
2. The bladder opens completely so it can dry out. 
3. The mouthpiece hooks into the sternum strap so it doesn't flop around. 
4. The bag rides high on your back and secures down well so that it hardly even bounces with 2L of water and gear stored in it. 
5. I was able to fit a running jacket and base layer in it. 
6. The two pockets on the front straps are situated so they ride in your arm pits, keeping the contents dry when it rained. 
7. The front strap pockets allow easy access to my camera/phone (to take quick pictures, answer phone calls or switch podcasts) and power gels without stopping.
8. The way the pack rode didn't restrict my breathing. It didn't restrict chest cavity expansion. 

Great pack!

Brooks Pure Grit (initial model)

The time is nearing for me to get some new shoes.I have loved my Brooks Pure Grit trail shoes and have probably put around 1000 miles on them. The soles probably weren't the best to be scaling mountains with but they did the trick. I will likely replace them with the new model of the Pure Grit which has a more aggressive sole. But hopefully I can get a few more miles out of them!