Ben insisted we start early - meeting up at 2:30am to head towards the Long's Peak trailhead. It's a good thing too - the parking lot was already full when we arrived. Our destination this morning is not Longs - although Ben had completely in recently; instead, we were on our way to Chasm Lake.
A deep lake at the base of the Longs' northeastern slope,
Chasm Lake is 4.2 miles in and located at 11,803 feet.
The beginning of the trail is long and full of steps. Irregular, tall steps. Difficult to maneuver with only one headlamp between the two of us. But we made good time and once we made it above the tall trees we found just enough light from the moon and the stars to guide us.
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| On the trail, looking out towards the early morning lights of Denver |
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| Our trail |
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| Upper Columbine Falls at dawn. |
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Chasm Lake, looking towards the Diamond - Long's Peaks pinacle climbing wall.
Where we sat, we were still nearly 2,500ft below the peak of Longs. |
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| Upper Columbine Falls |
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| Lower Columbine Falls, looking back towards the cirque where Chasm Lake lies |
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| Back to the Krumholtz, with the moon above Battlefield Mountain |
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| The dangers of a life above treeline |
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