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The Boulderfield (Page 3) |
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by Jerry Cates |
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Our group began hiking from the Boulderfield to the Keyhole around 6:30 a.m. Longs Peak rose majestically into the sky on our left. The photo of Longs on the right was taken at 6:18 a.m. The east face of the peak is the vertical, brighter appearing portion on the left side that is reflecting the rays of the rising sun. The flat top is the peak itself: Longs does not have a pointed head. The gentle-appearing slope leading from the top downward in the center of the photograph is the north face. This is the site of the old cable route, which was installed under the direction of ranger Jack Moomaw on September 3, 1925. The lower cable was 160 ft. long, and the upper one was 30 ft. long. This route was the primary means of hiking to the summit for many years. Most hikers climbed the cable route and then descended via the Keyhole. The cables were removed on July 29, 1973, and all non-technical climbers are now required to use the Keyhole route exclusively for ascending to the summit from the Boulderfield..
Obviously, the Keyhole route is the one we were taking this morning. To get there, we had to scramble over large boulders, some as large as an automobile. Going is slow for a guy who did not get much sleep last night. Taking my time here was important, because a misstep in the Boulderfield can easily twist an ankle, a knee or a hip. I knew that Francis Chamberlain had hiked to the top in 1931 on crutches and one leg- all without assistance- but I wanted to do it on all fours... One of the fellows from North Carolina took a photo of me below the Keyhole at 7:40 a.m., more than an hour after starting out from the campsite. It was clear the lawyer was chomping at the bit to move a little faster, but I wanted to pace myself, reserving my energy for the more challenging parts of the route. Look closely at the photo taken below the Keyhole. The small masonry structure with windows just below and to the left of the Keyhole is the survival shelter constructed as a memorial to Agnes Wolcott Vaille, who died on the mountain on January 12, 1925. At the time, she was making her fourth attempt to scale the East Face in wintertime. One rescuer also died, and another lost several digits to frostbite...
Next: The Keyhole, Going Up... Longs Peak Menu ... Bugsinthenews ... Books About Longs Peak |
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