General and shortest route explanation
A map and notes are posted at the trailhead (① on the trail map). As I mentioned earlier, I started walking in the dark, so I took this photo when I returned. The first third is through forest. At the beginning of the walk , I could only see my feet illuminated by the headlamp, but gradually the light became brighter and I could see my surroundings. If you go further and reach ② on the map, you will cross the tree line. In the image below, you can see a faint peak in the distance, but there is no way the real peak is this close, and it is just the first pseudo peak. False peaks will appear many times in the future, and you will be disappointed if you have high expectations. When I looked back, the eastern sky became brighter and the sun began to rise.The weather had been nice up until this point, and we climbed the mountain while enjoying the wonderful scenery around us. In the distance, peaking out from behind the clouds is Mount Massive . At this point, I had been climbing for over an hour and a half and was sweating a lot. However, the temperature on the mountain seemed to be quite low even though it was August, and when I looked at my partner's black shirt as I walked with him, I could see that the sweat had turned into white frost.I still have a long way to go, so I will keep walking.Once you get over the slope, that false peak approaches. This is quite long and difficult,The scenery in front of me doesn't change much no matter how I walk, but the scenery around me is soothing. The really tough part comes from the rocky area ahead, and the slope becomes steeper. From this point I started to feel gas, and I couldn't see much of the scenery. After being confused by several false peaks, I finally reached the final slope. We finally reached the top of the mountain, but due to the gas we could hardly see the surrounding scenery. You can see that you have reached the highest point, but the top is full of rocks and there is no sign that indicates it is the summit of Elbert. Still, I was impressed just by stepping on the peak, but another hiker who was there at the time lent me a self-made sign that he had brought with him, so I was able to take a commemorative photo with it. It's done. Even though I couldn't see the surrounding scenery, I was very grateful to know that this was the summit of Mt. Elbert. If you are about to climb the mountain, it is a good idea to bring a sign for a
commemorative photo in case something like this happens. I think if you write it on paper and fold it, it will be light and not bulky. After hitting the peak, it was a race against the afternoon thunder and it started to rain a bit, so I descended to the treeline as quickly as possible. Above that level, there is no place to hide even if there is thunder, so it is very dangerous and scary. However, on the way down, I felt a sense of accomplishment as I had already reached the top of the mountain, and having eaten the Lunch I had brought with me on the way up, my stomach was full, so I felt refreshed, and as the altitude decreased, the effects of altitude sickness gradually disappeared, especially as I returned to the forest area. After that, I was able to relax and walk. This experience of conquering the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains will be a memory that will last a lifetime. It was a long and strenuous hike, but if you're used to mountain hiking to a certain extent, you can reach this mountain if you put in the effort, so if you're interested, please give it a try. Matsudaira, Kamezawa-cho, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
General and shortest route explanation
A map and notes were posted at trailhead ①, and as mentioned above, I started walking in the dark, so this photo was taken when I came back.The first third is through the forest. . At the beginning of the walk, I could only see my feet illuminated by the headlamp, but gradually the light became brighter and I could see my surroundings. When you get to ② on the map, you will be over the tree line. Below, you can see a faint peak in the distance, but the real peak can't be this close, and the first false peak will appear many times in the future, and you'll be disappointed if you have high expectations. When I looked back, the sky in the east became brighter and the sun began to rise. The weather had been nice up until this point, and we climbed the mountain while enjoying the wonderful scenery around us. In the distance, peaking out from behind the clouds is Mount Massive. At this point, I had been climbing for over an hour and a half and was sweating profusely. However, the temperature in the mountains is quite low even in August, and we have a long way to go, so we keep walking. Once you get over the slope, that pseudo peak approaches. It's quite long and difficult, but the scenery in front of you doesn't change as you walk, and there are no signs at the top of Mt. Elbert, making it easy to find your way out. Matsudaira, Kamezawa-cho, Sumida-ku
