Toggle navigation. Colorado, United States, North America. The Trough. Save Add photos See all photos. Log in to vote. Overview Mike Bean catching some turns in the lower half of the Trough.
However, due to his accident and the dreadful consequences, the Elves have graciously allowed me to take it over to update. I've decided to leave a good portion of Chris' material on this page. Chris' name will remain.
I hope you're at peace buddy. Looking down from half-way. The Trough is roughly 2,' of vertical; talk about getting a lot of bang for the buck!! The Trough is a good, solid moderate snow climb. DO NOT attempt this line in summer or later. Since the top of the Trough merges with the Keyhole Route arguably the most popular on Longs Peak , the chances of encountering rock fall from other climbers is extremely high. From the trailhead, hike west up the East Longs Peak Trail.
After 0. The trail slowly ascends through twisted limber pines in Goblins Forest at 1. Keep left at the Jims Grove trail junction 2. Continue up the north side of Mills Moraine and, after 3. Keep right at the junction. The trail swings northwest from the Chasm Lake junction and slowly ascends the northeast flank of 13,foot Mt.
Lady Washington for 0. The pass offers great views west of jagged peaks along the Continental Divide. At the pass is another trail junction. Keep left on the main well-worn trail and hike easily up a slope to the 12,foot-high northern edge of The Boulder Field, a tumbled mass of boulders of all sizes that spills north from the North Face of Longs Peak. Hike through the boulders, passing a desolate camping area permit only and toilet, to the south end of The Boulder Field at 12, feet six miles from trailhead.
Above The Boulder Field, clamber over boulders on the cairn-marked trail to the obvious Keyhole, a pronounced notch in the northwest ridge of Longs Peak at 13, feet. The Keyhole not to be confused with the False Keyhole farther south up the ridge is the key to the route, allowing access from the east side of Longs Peak to the west.
The route becomes much more serious and demanding at the Keyhole, making it the turn-around point for many hikers unprepared for the terrain or the weather. If the weather appears to be turning bad , don't continue past the Keyhole. The wind is often very strong at the Keyhole too. The Agnes Vaille Hut, a beehive-shaped stone shelter, lies just below the Keyhole.
Agnes Vaille, a well-known climber in the s, died here after making the first winter ascent of the East Face in a grueling hour climbing marathon in January While she and her climbing partner Walter Kiener descended the North Face, Valle fell feet and landed in a snowdrift unhurt. She did, however, suffer from extreme fatigue and hypothermia in the frigid conditions and was unable to continue down. Kiener went for help but when rescuers arrived she had already died.
Herbert Sortland, one of her rescuers, also died after breaking a hip and freezing to death. The distance from the Keyhole to the summit is about a mile, but it is a hard, time-consuming mile with lots of route-finding, exposure, and scrambling.
From here the route spirals around the west and south sides of the mountain to the summit. The route is marked with painted yellow and red bulls-eyes at crucial spots. Climb through the Keyhole to the west side of the northwest ridge and go left.
Look right for spectacular views across Glacier Gorge, a deep glacier-excavated valley to the west. Work up left from the Keyhole on ledges, slabs, up to a V-slot, and then across the Ledges above the top of a big slab. Continue traversing across the face and 0. The Trough is filled with snow both early and late in the climbing season and may require crampons and an ice ax. If snow is still in the Trough, avoid it by keeping left on the dry rock. During peak summer climbing season, the Trough is dry.
The gully has both solid rock sections as well as rubble, watch for loose rock. Take care not to dislodge anything that may tumble onto climbers below. Wear a helmet to protect your head from klutzes above. Climb the Trough for feet to 13, feet on the west ridge of Longs Peak, finishing with a foot scramble up a rock wall and past a tricky chockstone hardest part of the route , to a sudden airy view of Wild Basin to the south from a platform. From the top of the Trough, the route traverses the south face on an exposed ledge system called The Narrows--it's not as bad as it looks.
Cross the ledge for feet, passing a couple of sections that narrow to four feet. This is one of the classic scrambles of all the Colorado 14ers. Without doubt the traverse from the Keyhole around to the Home Stretch is an adventure to say the least. If weather comes in while on this traverse it ups in danger and difficulty significantly.
Many people take a look past the Keyhole and decline going any further. Any experienced scrambler in dry conditions will enjoy this route, exposure is manageable, some hands on stuff on the home stretch.
The Longs Peak trailhead and campground are about 11 miles south of Estes Park on Colorado highway 7. Access from Boulder or Denver is via highway and 72 which intersects with highway 7. Restrooms but no showers.
However 2. There are a couple of other forest service campgrounds a few miles south on highway 7 as well. You can obtain a good map from the Rangers Station. The Ranger station also has a good binder with photos of most of the route to help you gauge the terrain. Dogs are not allowed on this route. There is a good trail from the Ranger Station all the way to the Boulder Field just below the Keyhole in the ridge.
The distance to the Boulder Field is 5. Of course you will be hiking most of this trail in the dark so bring a good headlamp and spare batteries to last at least 3 hours. Hike half a mile to the first junction, stay left here, the right takes you to the Eugenia Mine.
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