MOUNT LADY WASHINGTON: AN ADVENTURE IN WIND AND SNOW

Trailhead: Longs Peak Trailhead, Rocky Mountain National Park Starting elevation: 9,400 feet; Highest elevation on the hike: 13,281 feet Route: East Longs Peak Trail to Chasm Junction at 3.5 miles, continuing on the East Longs Peak Trail toward Granite Pass. Near Granite Pass, began direct ascent to the summit of Mount Lady Washington via its north ridge. Total trip distance: About 10 miles. Weather/trail conditions: Spring snow, deep in some places, with the trail over 95% snow covered. Very strong, cold winds in the morning, diminishing in the afternoon. Clear skies turning to partly cloudy after 11:00 AM.

Recent spring snows had left most of Rocky Mountain National Park's high peaks under a blanket of white as I began this hike. Starting up the trailhead at 5:30AM, I was treated to surprisingly warm air temperatures, although a cold wind howled through the tops of the surrounding trees. I soon met two climbers who had reached Chasm Lake and turned back on their attempt to ascend Mount Meeker's Dream Weaver route, reporting a combination of hip-deep snow and treacherous winds. Knowing I would soon need to leave the shelter of the forest and be subjected to the same winds above timberline, I briefly considered turning back before ultimately deciding to continue up the trail. Reaching timberline after about 75 minutes of hiking, the strong west winds immediately made their presence known. Wind-blown snow had partially submerged the path worn by previous hikers, so I removed the snowshoes I was carrying from my pack and strapped them to my feet to continue. The trail soon turned west toward Jims Grove, directly in to the wind. At this point, the wind varied from howling to gale-force, nearly knocking me over several times, and threatening to pick the hat off my head and deposit it somewhere near Fort Collins. To add to the amusement, the wind brought with its fury an army of pellet-sized ice crystals, which gave me a painful lesson in what a house must feel like when the paint is sand-blasted off its surface.

Jims Grove Junction

East Longs Peak Trail near timberline

Despite the elements, the scene around me was undeniably gorgeous. Mount Meeker, Longs Peak and Mount Lady Washington all stood prominently to the south, bathed in morning alpenglow. These peaks were veiled with snow, but were accentuated by ridges, faces and outcrops of rock where snow had melted or blown away since the last snowstorm a few days ago. The wind, despite its menacing presence, had worked to create an artistic blanket of sculptured drifts of snow and ice along the tundra. With this setting as my hiking companion, I continued past the Jims Grove Junction, and braved the wind to reach Chasm Junction. At Chasm Junction, I took advantage of the Park Service's privy in an unintended fashion, using it as shelter. Under normal circumstances, these toilets along the trail are not a place anyone wants to spend a lot of time. However, the cold temperatures and lack of use by hikers meant the usual smells that accompany a backcountry privy were quite noticeably absent. Therefore, I cowered behind the walls surrounding the toilet, taking in a welcome reprieve from the wind, and letting my fingers and toes thaw.

Chasm Junction, with Longs Peak (center) and Mount Lady Washington (right)

East Face of Longs Peak from the Chasm Lake Trail south of Chasm Junction

I was curious to see what the Chasm Lake Trail looked like in these conditions, as most hikers signed in at the trailhead register from the previous week had attempted to reach the lake. There were several sets of prints, from both boots and snowshoes, along the summer trail route over the snow. After hiking along the path for about ten minutes, I reached the first of the areas where the route travels above a sudden drop-off toward Peacock Pool. I decided I did not trust my snowshoes enough to continue along this route and risk a sudden plunge into the gorge. Taking one last look at the new Chasm Lake shelter cabin in the distance, looking almost orange-colored against the snow, I took a picture and turned back toward Chasm Junction with my sights set on Mount Lady Washington. After returning to Chasm Junction, I headed west toward Granite Pass. The summer trail route was now only marked with two sets of footprints, but remained fairly true to the basic East Longs Peak Trail route. As many hikers must do during snow hikes, I thanked the unknown hikers before me who blazed the trail, both for defining the route and cutting steps along the snow for better footing. I made good progress toward Granite Pass, and enjoyed some shelter from the still raging winds as I hiked below the massive bulk of Mount Lady Washington's northeast slopes. As I approached 12,000 feet and Granite Pass, the route I was following split, with one path remaining high along the ridge to a point about 200 feet above the pass, while the second descended in to the basin below me for a direct route to the pass. I chose to stay on the higher trail to gain elevation above the pass, and followed a single set of footprints along some areas of tricky footing in the snow. After another twenty minutes, I had reached the long ridge that leads north from the summit of Lady Washington at 13,281 feet down to Granite Pass at 12,080 feet.

View north toward the Mummy Range from above Granite Pass

Looking along Mount Lady Washington's north ridge toward the summit

I began to pick my way up the north ridge of Lady Washington around 9:30 AM. I soon elected to remove my snowshoes and stow them on my backpack, which afforded me easier footing along the boulders protruding from the snow drifts. As I hiked just on the east side of the ridgeline, the windbreak I had enjoyed for the last ninety minutes soon disappeared. Howling with all of its original fury, the wind swept from across the Boulder Field and hammered this exposed ridge, causing me to turn my body downwind repeatedly to avoid the worst of the gusts. I made slow but steady progress, stopping every ten to fifteen steps for a few quick breaths of cool and increasingly thin air. The combination of high altitude, frigid winds and occasional deep snow drifts certainly made for a challenging ascent. Thinking about my current state, I recalled that my wife once informed an Estes Park hiking store clerk that she had just climbed Mount Chapin, to which the clerk responded "I only do EXTREME hiking...like Deer Mountain." Knowing that Deer Mountain tops out at just 10,013 feet, over one vertical half-mile below my current wind-battered and snow drift-covered locale, I wondered with amusement how that clerk would classify this hike. I was teased with brief glimpses of massive Longs Peak sneaking over the ridge as I approached 13,000 feet. About 45 minutes since I started up the ridge, Mount Lady Washington's summit came in to view, causing a brief mental celebration. I followed the ridge as it turned southwest to meet the summit, and the grade mercifully lessened along the short ridgeline to the summit. I reached the exposed summit of Mount Lady Washington just before 11:00AM, with my eyes immediately glued to the jaw-dropping view of the Diamond on Longs Peak.

Longs Peak from the 13,281' summit of Mount Lady Washington

Mount Meeker's north face from the summit of Mount Lady Washington

As I sat on the toprock of Mount Lady Washington, I was reminded why this is one of my favorite destinations. The small, exposed summit affords a stunning view of the East Face of Longs Peak, as well as nearby landmarks of Mount Meeker, the Keyhole, Storm Peak and the Boulder Field. To the west, north and east the views take in an endless expanse of mountain ranges, green valleys, and cities along the plains. Despite the lack of exposure to drop-offs on the approach to the summit, the summit itself offers an exciting view over the steep gorge of the Chasm Lake-Peacock Pool valley. I snapped numerous photographs of the scene, ducking back behind a boulder for brief shelter from the wind in between pictures. I signed the summit register in a tiny blank area on the back of the register, since the small notebook had run out of room for new names over six months ago. I enjoyed a granola bar lunch, and took in the view one last time before beginning my descent.

Looking east across the summit

East Face of Longs Peak

Mount Meeker and a snowdrift on Mount Lady Washington's summit

View northwest from the summit toward Trail Ridge and the Mummy Range

I elected to take the most direct route back to the trailhead by descending Lady Washington's northeast slopes toward Chasm Junction. Remarkably, I was able to find a set of footprints along this route, again with gratitude toward the unknown hiker who made them. I went back to my snowshoes, and quickly descended the route by avoiding boulders and following snow gullies. Despite the steep grade along this route, which averages nearly 40% from the East Longs Peak Trail straight up to the summit, the snow surfaces were stable and easy to follow. I was now behind the main bulk of the mountain, and enjoyed a respite from the wind that had plagued me all day. However, a new malady continued its assault on my skin, as the bright, warm sun began to take its toll. Already worn with exposure to the bright snow and harsh winds all day, my eyes and face were now fighting back blinding high-altitude sun rays. I was thankful for the sun nonetheless, as its warmth helped soften the snow and make this descent route safe.

Descending the east slopes of Mount Lady Washington

Looking back from the trail between Chasm Junction and Jims Grove Junction

With a welcome leveling of the ground under my snowshoes, I reached the East Longs Peak Trail about 1/4 mile west of Chasm Junction. I continued across the snow-covered tundra toward the Jims Grove Junction, no longer battling the wind, which had conveniently diminished now that it would be at my back for the first time all day. The high-altitude sunshine beat down on me both from the sky as well as from below as it reflected blindingly off the snow. Thankfully, billowy clouds began to roll in over the peaks, blocking out the sun briefly and helping to stave off any further sunburn. As I descended the trail, I continually looked back toward Longs Peak, always awe-inspiring from any vantage point. I reached the shelter of the trees about ninety minutes after leaving the summit of Lady Washington.

Returning to the trail below timberline

View toward Twin Sisters Peaks

After reaching timberline, I soon removed my snowshoes again as I began to encounter several dry patches of trail. I met a total of five hikers on the last mile of trail, the only hikers I had encountered since I met the two climbers at 5:40 AM. I soon made my way back to the Longs Peak Trailhead, shocked by the view of only six cars in the normally packed parking lot. It was hard to believe so few people would experience a great hike along this trail on this sunny day, but it is likely several people had turned back because of the wind in the morning. In any case, the solitude of the trail on this day was another reminder that Rocky Mountain National Park is often best experienced when most people never see it, in the winter and spring when snow blankets the trees and mountains, and when harsh weather elements can enhance an already fantastic hiking experience.

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