I don't know why I waited all this time to make a thread, but here it is. Me and my buddies took our 2nd annual spring roadtrip. Our destination: Leadville, CO. The plan from the start was to do something big, and early on we chose summiting one of the highest peaks in America, Mt. Elbert. From Leadville, Elbert I don't really have an in depth story of the hike, but let's just say there was a snowstorm above the treeline, and it was the hardest physical activity of my life. Sunrise over Twin Lakes, at the base of Elbert Canyon south of Elbert.
The peak, looking NW. Elbert, from the frozen Turquoise Lake. We all made it to about 14,000feet. But it was so cloudy and snowy, that it appeared there was much more to hike, and two of the original four that set out had to stop and start heading back down. Luckily, I was one of the two who had enough will to keep pressing on when it seemed like my body was gonna break down on me. Forgot to mention, this was the first mountain hike I'd ever done. Pretty much, aside from the climb, the trip was all about messing around, having fun, and tokin it up in the Rockies. We got an eighth of good dank for 35 (almost half of what we pay in KS), and we got to drink at the legendary Silver Dollar Saloon in Leadville, where apparently Doc Holliday spent some days. On 4/20, we drove over to Denver, and attended the rally/huge gathering of stoners. All in all, it was a fantastic trip. Hope you guys enjoy the pics.
That's fucking awesome man beautiful pics How long did it take you guys to climb to the top? It looks like a hell of a damn view
6-7 hours up, about 4 hours down. The other 3 guys decided to use snowshoes (big clunky things). But I decided to tough it out with just my long jeans and high-topped hiking shoes. Needless to say my feet were soaked by the time we peaked. Me and the other guy pretty much ran through 1-2 feet of snow for the first 1,000 feet on our way down. S*** was crazy. But an epic accomplishment.
For real man I bet you felt pretty good when you got to the top. That's pretty nuts going out there unprepared like that. It's not like you were goin on an epic quest but still you coulda got pretty gnarley frost bite from that. Still woulda been worth it to burn all the way up there. I smoked a bowl on my roof last night and felt like a bad ass haha
Well, I had all the layers I needed. I really didn't feel anywhere close to being frostbite. It was just the lack of oxygen. It got to the point where I could only continue on in small portions. When I got to the top, I immediately fell to my knees and cried out in happiness/exhaustion. My buddy tried to play the Skyrim theme on his phone, but it was so windy, I could barely hear it.
Haha that's too funny Imagine what the pioneers felt when they climbed those fuckers man. Those people were bad ass
Damn dude..mad props, this shit is beautiful. I've always wanted to head to colorado to check out the climbing scene. California is huge on it, me and a few buddies head down to Yosemite and climb there but this is awesome.
Congrats, that looks like one helluva climb. Amazing view at the peak! Those are the photos that you normally download as a wallpaper and you think, "Wow I bet it was cool to be that photographer!"
Yeah. S*** was crazy. Most first time climbers don't choose the 2nd highest peak in the 48 lower states. Not to mention it was mid-spring, with snow still a moderate factor. The two guys who didn't make it to the top were my older brother and my good bearded friend. They both say they want to go back in the summer and try again on Elbert. Or even it's neighboring peak, Mt Massive. Which is the 2nd highest peak in CO after Elbert.
[quote name='"MichaelMongrel"'] Make it your goal to visit the top of the Rockies, aka Lake County, Colorado. It's beautiful.[/quote] I've done peak 8 around Breckenridge. It's beautiful out there. After seeing your pictures I will have to visit over there.