This was, without question, the most physically and mentally challenging hike I’ve ever done. Couldn’t have dreamt of a better way to finally bag my first 14ᵉʳ 🎉

The views once you pass through the Keyhole are out of this world, and best of all, you get them all to yourself. My only complaint concerns the long, boring approach (5 roundtrip miles of forest 🤮).

Spikes are fine for the most part, although snowshoes are always good insurance. I stashed mine inside the Agnes Vaille shelter to avoid lugging them to the summit.

Deep snow persists from the Ledges onward. However, the main difficulty on the Ledges are the many exposed boulders. The slabs are steep and slippery due to melting snow, while the snow itself is unstable around their base, making it difficult to walk between them. Plot your course carefully.

The Trough was very, very difficult. It’s only a ¼-mile long, yet so steep I spent 45 minutes climbing out of it. I wish I’d owned an ice axe for the descent, as glissading is your best option. You WILL fall if you try to walk down.

The Narrows and Homestretch were rather tame after that. Quick and straightforward, even with all the snow. The wind was savage most of the day, but it stopped when I reached the summit, giving me almost an hour to enjoy it by myself!

On a sadder, but important, note, Lucas Macaj, the hiker who had gone missing on Longs Peak, was tragically found dead on Mills Glacier. That weighed heavily on my mind as I followed his tracks. Stay safe out there.