Type: | Trad, Alpine, 15 ft (5 m), Grade IV |
FA: | Renan Ozturk and Sam Piper, early 2000s? Richard Rossiter, 11 August, 2009 |
Page Views: | 17,610 total · 99/month |
Shared By: | Richard Rossiter on Oct 6, 2009 |
Admins: | Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monty, Monomaniac, Tyler KC |
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Access Issue: Closures
Details
Seasonal closures Feb. 15-July 31. Per the Denver Post:, the Cathedral Wall and all areas above the Loch Vale-Sky Pond Trail are closed to off-trail travel! Per this RMNP website, "Initial closures now occur in Feb. 15 and April, when raptors return to the region and scout for nesting sites. Areas containing general habitat preferred by raptors are closed during this time. Once raptors have selected nesting spots, the initial closures are lifted or adjusted. The specific areas which raptors choose for nesting sites are closed."
For additional information about raptor closures, please visit the Rocky Mountain National Parks area closures website.
General NPS climbing regulations for RMNP posted here.
For additional information about raptor closures, please visit the Rocky Mountain National Parks area closures website.
General NPS climbing regulations for RMNP posted here.
Description
This ultra marathon spans (counter clockwise) the entire rim of Glacier Gorge traversing 8 summits in perhaps 15 miles. The 7 towers along the Keyboard of the Winds are not climbed. Begin at the Glacier Gorge Bus Stop. Take the Glacier Gorge Trail and ascend the Regular Route on Thatchtop. Traverse the summit and gain the Continental Divide via the Northeast Ridge of Powell Peak. Traverse Powell Peak and descend into McHenrys Notch. Climb east out of the notch (5.5, 300 feet) and traverse McHenrys Peak (Northwest Ridge/Stone Man Ridge), Chiefs Head Peak (Northwest Ridge/East Ridge), Pagoda Mountain (Northwest Face/East Ridge), Longs Peak (Southwest Ridge/Keyhole Ridge), Storm Peak and finally Half Mountain. Descend a talus gully on the northwest side of Half Mountain and regain the Glacier Gorge Trail at Mills Lake. Run the final 2.5 miles back to the GG Bus Stop. This is a very long and demanding circuit with various challenges beyond sheer endurance such as the Northeast Ridge of Powell Peak, McHenrys Notch, the Northwest Face of Pagoda Mountain and the south ridge of The Dark Tower. The descent of the Keyhole Ridge is not trivial. Best time to date: 13 hours, R. Rossiter, 11 August 2009. I am just an old guy. Someone younger and faster could probably do this in half the time.
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