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The Narrows, Going Down (pg.2)... |
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At the point where the photo on the left, below, was taken, the trail was near the highest point on the Narrows, around 14,000 ft. elevation. The floor of the valley below, at the left extremity of the glacial ice in the center of the photo, is at 12,000 ft., almost exactly 2,000 ft. below, almost a sheer drop. I took the photo while standing with my back pressed firmly against the rock behind me. The trail constricts for a short distance here, and a small section of it slopes downward, having been washed by heavy rainwater flows for centuries. Somewhere near here, possibly at this very spot, the 75-year-old hiker I mentioned earlier fell to his death several weeks before this photo was taken. The small, rectangular black formation near the very center of the photo on the left, below, is shaped like a 1920's Ford touring car, It even has prominent circular features where the wheels should be. This formation is often morbidly referred to as "The Black Hearse."
As I got closer to the last section of the Narrows, the going got a bit more interesting. The point near the center of the photo on the right, above, is the top of the Trough couloir, where the Narrows begin. Here, getting a good hand-hold on the mountainside is critical. Next: the Narrows, going down, page 3... Longs Peak Menu ... Bugsinthenews ... Books About Longs Peak |
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