Chasm Lake View, Late Summer. RMNP, Colorado, 2015 (SE Longs is the middle of the high points of the Longs Peak massif, left of The Notch and The Diamond)
― John Muir, Our National Parks
And that includes me, John, thanks! If he said that over 100 years ago what would he think about our plugged-in, zoned out, frenetic society of today?
Now, on to today’s story…
The mountains seem to be hovering in a state of suspended animation these late summer days…these lazy, hazy (forest fires out west), days of summer. The snow has been reduced to a few dirty stains on the northern slopes, well above treeline…the thunder and lightning spirits have run out of scream for this season…and the nights carry a nip and tuck of colder air, a portent of the coming autumn and a very likely El Niño snowball winter.
The mountains, hovering and waiting–a brief pause in the cyclical natural drama of eons–and, of course, a good time for “going to the mountains” to get their good tidings, thought I.
But, wait, you so rudely interrupt! This is supposed to be a 14er report and you certainly have never heard tell of Southeast Longs (also known as “The Beaver”)–and you already know that Meeker is a mere centennial 13er, shy of the almighty 14er mark by a whopping 89 sized-12 feet, right?
OK, to explain. I am looking at the longer Gerry Roach list of 73 14ers as my personal, arbitrary and ultimately meaningless-to-the-universe, framework on which to hang my myriad beautiful mountain experiences–and Southeast Longs (SEL) figures on that list.
Mt. Meeker? Well, it is right across the “Lofty” saddle from SEL, it is reputed to have a very sexy, granite, summit ridge, and I have been wanting to get my fanny up there for some time as I have never been. All yet more excuses for further exploring the beautiful Chasm Lake-Longs Peak area of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).
Combine all that with the need to stay close to home this weekend and what do you get? A trip up to the “Loft in the Sky” and a SEL-Meeker combo.
Here is a full report with a scree pile of several dozen titillating images for your enjoyment–and for planning your own trip up there…
Trip Report: Southeast Longs (14,060′) and Mt. Meeker (13,911′)
Route:
The Class 3 Loft Route starting from the Longs Peak Trailhead (9,400′). This journey is about 12 miles round trip, and involves 5200′–nearly a mile–of total vertical gain, assuming you climb to the summit of both peaks.
Being very familiar with this part of RMNP, I had a mental image that this hike would be a lot easier than, say, Maroon Peak–and, technically, it was. But the thrashing I felt in my aging feet afterward reminded me that I had slightly misjudged the required effort. I naively assumed it would be a cozy and quick outing, but it certainly wasn’t quite that.
Be prepared for a workout–and especially so if you add in the Clark’s Arrow part of the route to the main Longs Peak summit! (If you are indeed going that way, Alan Arnette has a nice summary of finding Clark’s Arrow with GPS coordinates HERE. Also, sift through the Longs trip reports at 14ers.com for even more good beta on The Loft Route.)
Timeline:
How nice we have it here, living in this neck o’ the strange woods called the Boulder Bubble…just 60 minutes from our front door to the Longs Peak Trailhead!
I started walking upward bound at 2:45a.m. (no Moon scheduled, so using the headlamp) with the idea that it would just be getting light when I needed the visibility to find the critical left-leaning traverse that takes you through the cliffs and up to the lofty 13,460′ saddle that is The Loft. No elevator available. The twilight timing turned out to be very good.
By 4:25a.m. I was at the Chasm Lake trail junction, still in the dark, but looking out on Denver’s lights, shining like diamonds, like 10,000 jewels in the sky…
Near Chasm Lake, sometime around the inky 5a.m. hour, I met Greg, a guy who had been up the Loft route some five times before–his firefly-flickering headlamp up ahead would serve as a wonderful trailblazing beacon for me until dawn revealed all. Thanks, Greg!
By the first indication of twilight, we were well up the scree and boulder gully, and by actual sunrise we were on the famous traverse.
Greg and I parted ways on the giant, flat, Loft–he moved off toward Clark’s Arrow and me toward SE Longs. I was on the summit of SE Longs at 8a.m., stayed for 25 minutes, then was off to Meeker.
By 9:20a.m. I was on Meeker’s spectacular summit, finally departing for the world below at 9:45a.m.
By 11:25a.m., I was taking pictures of Chasm Lake, and by 2:06p.m. I was back at the trailhead.
Total time: 11+25, with all breaks, lunch, photo ops, etc. En route time up was 5+15 to Southeast Longs, then another 55 minutes to get across to Meeker’s summit. It took about 4+25 to get back to the trailhead from the tippy top of Mt. Meeker (with that side trip to Chasm Lake included).
Weather Conditions:
It was a nice, stable, almost-autumn day with only some passing high clouds in the sky. The winds ranged from calm to some gusts cycling through at 15-20mph. No thunder-bumper threat at all today!
I was comfortable hiking up in long pants and one long-sleeved, wool, upper body layer, but hanging out on the summit, a thin down layer (or light parka) was nice.
Trail Conditions:
Dry, dry, and dry–except for some isolated icy patches at the start of the traverse through the cliff bands. Take care there as the ice can be invisible in places, i.e. verglas. The snow in the gully had melted back considerably, giving plenty of options to the tyro scrambler for approaching the key traverse.
I would divide the Loft Route (at least, up to The Loft itself) like this:
—The Longs Peak Trail – A super-highway up through the forest, across the tundra above treeline, to the junction with the Chasm Lake Trail. Here, Keyhole hikers will go right, Loft hikers will go left, and those who need to poop will stop at the popular privy with a pretty view. You will have plenty of company on this section of trail during the main 14er good-weather season–indeed the many headlamps above and below you will easily sketch out almost the entire trail track in the pre-dawn dark.
—The Chasm Lake Trail – Also a nice Class 1 walk, but with a small, small fraction of the hoof traffic that the Longs Keyhole Trail gets. Just before going up the last little slope to Chasm Lake itself, though, you will trend left and look for bits of trail taking you up the Loft gully.
—Climb to the Loft – Initially, from the Chasm Lake area, you may have some trouble finding a trail, especially if navigating by headlamp. Once past those initial eroded arroyos, though, if you stay in the middle on what seems the most likely route, you should start picking up a pretty decent trail and the occasional cairn.
Eventually, the incline steepens and you will encounter some light scrambling (Class 2 to maybe 3, depending on your choices) and you will be funneled generally toward the drainage to your right. At some point, you will find yourself up against this drainage (or snowfield) and the steep, wet, cliffs above. The key traverse starts here. (It sort of vaguely reminded me of being on the Sawtooth Traverse from Bierstadt toward Evans.)
Follow the convenient ledge that angles up and left, avoiding snow and icy patches. Eventually, surmount some bigger boulders (there are a couple ways to do it), continue maybe 50-100 yards farther, then switchback to the right to gain The Loft (a couple of ways to do this, too).
—The Loft Area – Big and flat, easy navigation, even for Columbus. Not much else to say. A couple of white quartz cairns will get you going in the general direction of Clark’s Arrow. For SE Longs and Meeker, choose your own stroll.
—Up SE Longs – There are a million possibilities, but I chose to generally follow the right (east side) so that I could occasionally peer over into, and photograph, the yawning abyss below. (Beware: “Gaze not into the abyss lest the abyss gaze into thee.”)
—Up Meeker – From SE Longs, it seemed like Meeker was a very, very tiring distance away. From summit to summit, though, it was only a 55-minute trip. A pleasant surprise! Once you get to the base of Meeker, look for the slightly braided scree trail just west of the dorsal ridge proper. You may have snow here late into the year.
—Descent – Finding the route down off of The Loft wasn’t difficult, especially if you made some mental notes on your way up. Make sure to stay south of the snowfield/gully as you descend, and look for cairns.
Photography Issues:
–This time I carried the whole 12-pound kit of three lenses, body, and big tripod. Heavy, but nice to have.
–When switching lenses, the telephoto fell over in the dirt and debris entered the back end of the lens. Aaack! As much as you clean out the dust, some will end up on the sensor when you attach the lens to the body. Take care when doing the lens switch dance!
–Thankfully, there were a few high clouds to reflect the morning light. There is nothing more boring than a plain, blue sky at sunrise.
Unusual Events/Comments:
–There might have been around a max of a dozen folks headed up to The Loft today, a Sunday with a good forecast. Some were going to Meeker, some to Longs, some were tagging both. Contrast this with the couple hundred going up the Longs Keyhole Route.
–When I arrived at the trailhead parking lot at 2:45a.m., I was lucky to find one of the last parking spots at the back of the lot. Upon leaving, at 2:30p.m., I saw cars parked well down the curves below the trailhead.
–It was very nice to have company to help with route finding up to The Loft. I hope the rest of your climb up Longs went well, Greg.
–There were several anchor options on top of SE Longs for those wanting to rappel into the Notch. At some point, though, it looks like a big portion of this area is about to cleave away a la NW Face of Half Dome. Hopefully, that will happen in the winter with no one there but fat, slumbering marmots.
–The Diamond had plenty of climbing activity–Pervertical Sanctuary, the Casual Route, and D7 were all active, if I identified the routes correctly. It’s always fun to scan the big wall for the tiny human dots.
—Colorado 14er Senior Challenge summit count: 37 of the basic list of 58 (p. xxiii in Gerry Roach’s 14er “Bible”, Colorado Fourteeners, 3rd Ed.); 44 of the long list of 73 (pp. 347-348, with South Wilson added, also in Roach’s “Bible”.
Selected Images:
The conga line starts to form–note the headlamps crossing the east slope of Mount Lady Washington, heading up toward the Boulderfield and the Keyhole…
Giant Cairn. Longs Peak Trail, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
Uncivilization, off in the mid-distance to the east, between the popular privy and Orion. That is the planet Venus just above the privy…
Orion Over Denver. RMNP, Colorado, 2015
At least three satellite tracks in this image. The light just ahead on the trail is Greg, showing me the route. There is also one small light up at the start of the Broadway ledge system…
Starry Sky Over Longs Peak. RMNP, Colorado, 2015
Farther below I have a similar image taken in daylight with the route marked. This shot was at first light and sees a lot more than could be seen with the eye at the time. You can find Greg and a brief flash of his headlamp in the middle under the water-streaked cliffs just left of a small snow patch. He is pretty close to where you start the traverse left…
Cliffed Out. Loft Route, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
Beware of icy patches at the start of the traverse–or snow, if earlier in the year…
Greg, On the Traverse. Loft Route, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
Greg, choosing the bouldering option to surmount the blocking blocks. There is also an option that goes to the right, just out of the picture, with no exposure…
Boulder Blocks. Loft Route, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
Looking back down at the blocks from the previous photo (white arrow). At this point, you are about ready to cut back right and up toward The Loft…
Past the Blocks. Loft Route, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
You can either take that small ledge indicated by the arrow (not as exposed as it looks), or you can cut across a bit higher, as we did. Longs Peak is now visible, although the rubble that is SE Longs blends into Longs proper so the former secondary summit is hard to pick out…
The Traverse Right. Loft Route, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
What a place to be for sunrise!…
Greg, and Alpenglow on Longs. Loft Route, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
The slightly lower, western, hump of Mount Lady Washington is visible to the right…
Alpenglow, #2. From the Loft Route, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
Greg works his way up to the giant saddle…
Approaching the Loft. Loft Route, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
And our personal sunrise from behind the eastern ridge of Mt. Meeker…
Meeker Ridge Sunrise. From the Loft Route, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
A better view of both of Mount Lady Washington’s humpty-humps (on the right)…
Rock Sculptures and MLW. From the Loft Route, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
Greg will drop down the other side past this white cairn toward Clark’s Arrow. I will hang a right and work through a boulder field to the summit of SE Longs…
Greg on The Loft, #2. Loft Route, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
It’s hard not to take pictures of everything up here!…
A Loft Photo Op. Loft Route, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
I tended to follow the eastern ridge of SE Longs so as to peer over the dramatic edge into the void…
The Hungry Chick. SE Longs, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
Some views along the way to the summit of SE Longs…
Chasm View Shadows. SE Longs, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
Photographer at Work. SE Longs, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
Chasm Lake View. SE Longs, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
Legionnaire on top, face plastered with French sunscreen…
Summit, SE Longs. RMNP, Colorado, 2015
SE Longs’ big, big sister, and one possible anchor (of at least two) for the rappel into The Notch…
Longs Peak Above. From SE Longs, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
We pass salutations back and forth…
Longs Peak Salute. From SE Longs, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
The next stop sure looks a long, long way off, but it only took 55 minutes. The scree trail is obvious and the footing was relatively good going up–better than boulder-hopping by far! The summit block is that VW-sized rock indicated with the arrow…
Meeker and the Loft View. From SE Longs, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
Looking back at SE Longs and Longs. There are actually human beans visible climbing up to the Homestretch (red arrows) and one bean visible on the summit. My general route up SE Longs (X on the summit) is indicated…
A Blockheaded Longs, from Meeker. Mt. Meeker, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
And a closer view…
Longs Summit. From Mt. Meeker, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
A nice, secure, scramble on beautiful rock. The ridge coming from the other direction looks pretty sporty! And those slabs off to the right look like some great climbing at moderate 5th class–you would just have to haul all your gear up here!…
Meeker’s Summit Block. Mt. Meeker, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
A summit self-portrait, then time to return to the strange, boiling world of humans. For scale, two hikers are resting where indicated by the arrow…
Adios to Mt. Meeker. Mt. Meeker, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
Once below the Class 3 section, a photograph of the difficulties. Early in the season, with snow filling the gully, the scramble approaching the traverse could be more problematic..
The Loft, Class 3 Section. Loft Route, RMNP, Colorado, 2015
A stop at Chasm Lake is definitely worth your while. In spring, this basin is quite the spectacle with all the snow, ice, and water leaking and falling everywhere (although the normally Class 1 trail in from the privy junction can be hazardous with snow)…
Chasm Lake View, Late Summer. RMNP, Colorado, 2015
I’m pretty sure “A” is Pervertical Sanctuary, and “C” is the Casual Route. Is “B” D7? Let me know, and I will correct. The two guys up there at a belay on PS (“A”) passed me like I was a stationary rock about a half mile up from the trailhead at about 3a.m…
Climbers on The Diamond. RMNP, Colorado, 2015
One last peek at the peaks in harsh mid-day light (not good for making quality photographs)…
Meeker-Longs. RMNP, Colorado, 2015
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4 Comments
I was hoping to print your report then saw the copyright notice. How can I get in touch with you to get/pay for permissions?
Just replied to you via email. For climbing beta, no problem, go ahead and make a copy of the blog entry. Thanks for asking, Richard!
Great trip report and pics! I hope to SEL this next season. Your report will help a bunch Thank you.
Thanks, Richard, and good luck!