MT. ELBERT (14,433’)

July 30, 2018

By Tim Briese

10.0 miles, 4000’ elevation gain, 10:15 roundtrip time

My good friend Hal Fischer, with whom I had climbed a half dozen or so 14ers many years before, turned 70 in July 2018. A couple of months earlier he asked if I would take him up a new 14er this summer to help celebrate his milestone birthday. I said sure, how about Mt. Elbert, the state’s highest peak, and he was all in! I picked him up at 4 am on the day of the climb and we drove to the South Mt. Elbert Trailhead near Twin Lakes. We drove 1.8 miles up the easy 4WD road to the upper trailhead to reduce the distance and elevation gain of the climb somewhat. At 710 we embarked on the trail with my lab Abby and his lab Louise. We hiked about 0.4 miles north on the Colorado Trail and then turned left onto the South Mt. Elbert Trail. This trail has been rebuilt and vastly improved since I was last on it several years ago, at least up to about 12,500’ where trail construction is still underway.

hal and the dogs on the trail

As we began to climb up the trail through the woods Hal found it necessary to stop for a breather every couple of hundred feet, which continued all the way to the top. I was so impressed that he was tackling this grueling undertaking and pulling it off! We set a slow and steady pace and gradually marched upward. We had perfect sunny weather today without a hint of storms, with a chilly but refreshing breeze blowing out of the northwest.

on the trail above timberline, with the summit still a long way away

twin lakes was an impressive sight below

onward and upward

getting closer

There were many other climbers on the trail but we could see considerably more on the northeast ridge route when we got higher. Eventually we marched all the way to the top, where we arrived at 120. What an exhilarating accomplishment to celebrate! I was honored to be here for this special moment.

hal and louise on the summit

summit celebration

there were lots of other climbers up here

After 45 minutes on the summit we headed back down. It seemed like a very long haul back.

on the trail down

hal and louise

When we were part way down Hal looked back up at the slopes of this monster mountain we had climbed and exclaimed that he was glad he didn’t realize on the way up all that lay ahead of us, for it would have been deflating and discouraging. I noted that this was a good metaphor for life – it is good that we don’t know what the future holds!

a scenic view on the way down

We finally tramped back down to the trailhead at 525 and sat on the tailgate of my truck and celebrated with an ice cold Coke. What a way to celebrate turning 70, with a climb of the state's highest peak! I told Hal later that maybe they should rename the peak "Mt. Halbert"!