Brutal Day - Hike up to 14.255 Feet!

Greetings! Here is a photo journal of the hike up Longs Peak (Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado). The trek starts at 9,405 feet and summits at 14,255 feet. It is a climb of 4,850 vertical feet and is over a 16 mile round trip. Long's is the eighth most difficult 14'er of the 59 14,000'+ mountains in Colorado.
This photo is 7 miles from the peak, the summit is in the distance. Yes, we will walk/climb all the way there!	This is the summit from 5 miles away. Notice the clouds. Do not remain on this mountain in severe weather.
This is now well above tree-line, meaning we are well above 12,000 feeet.	How long does the hike take? Pros do it in 4-5 hours, takes me 6.
Well above the tree-line, look down, a long way! Note the steep, sheer nature of this section of the route.	This is it!!! The view over Rocky Mtn. Nat'l Park from 14,255 feet. At the summit, you can sign a scroll kept in a sealed tube.
Think of the cata- clysmic events needed to push these rocks up nearly three milese above sea level!	From 14,255, you can see for miles. You can see the transition from clear sky (R) to stormy sky (L).
The best time of year to do this hike is July, August, or September. You may want to start at 3:00 a.m., I like to start at 6:00 a.m. The reason for the early start is to complete the hike before the afternoon thunderstorms move in. (Also, to get a good parking place at the trailhead) BTW, there are a lot of great views and vistas in Colorado that aren't quite so hard to get to. Sincerely, Bob Martin, LifeTec21.com - The Life of Free Men Hey Dude, I thought this was awesome!