Travis and I day-hiked the East route of Mt Elbert today. Normally, this hike takes 4-5 hours to summit, but we somehow managed to stretch it out to 7+ hours. I found this hike to be much easier aerobically than our Mt. Harvard hike last year as I was rarely out of breath, but I imagine that it is due more to my extended acclimation and on the CT prior to this hike rather than the actual terrain.
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- Beaver pond near the trailhead.
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- Beaver dam.
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- Intersection of the Mt Elbert East Route with the CT.
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- Typical trail section at lower elevations.
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- Still below treeline in Aspen and Pine Forests.
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- First time breaking 12kft.
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- At about 12,300 ft, looking back at Twin Lakes.
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- Break for lunch on the saddle at 12,400 ft.
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- At about 13,000 ft, looking towards Leadville.
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- Alpine Sunflower (Rydbergia grandiflora)
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- Mix of Alpine Flora.
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- Panorama of false summit near 13,000 ft.
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- Pea-sized hail (ouch).
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- Looking towards Box Creek.
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- Panorama over the NE coloir.
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- Travis looking into the coloir.
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- Hiking a short snow field.
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- Gathering some souvenir snow.
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- At nearly 14,000 ft, looking towrds Twin Lakes.
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- First time breaking 14kft this trip.
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- Wind breaks a few hundred feet short of the summit.
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- Panorama near the summit.
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- Wind break on the summit.
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- Panorama from Mt Elbert summit, looking West.
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- Panorama from Mt Elbert summit, looking North.
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- Panorama from Mt Elbert summit, looking Northeast.
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- Panorama from Mt Elbert summit, looking South.
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- Wide panorama showing views East, South, and West.
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- The joy of bagging my second 14er.
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- Yellow-bellied Marmot, aka Rock Chuck (Marmota flaviventris)
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- Another view looking West.
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- View from summit looking Southwest.
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- Major find in the Mt Elbert log book: Trogdor the Burninator!
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- Looking down along the easier, more popular North route.
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- Heading back down.
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- Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis)
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- Another paranoid Marmot.
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