Levi and I packed up Wednesday day and left Colorado Springs at 3:00 PM to embark on our journey to climb one of the hardest mountains in Colorado. We had only a little idea of what to expect but nothing really prepared us for what we were faced with the next few days.
Crestone Needle is one of five 14ers (A 14er is a 14 thousand foot mountain in Colorado. There are no mountains over 14 thousand feet in Colorado. There are a total of 54 14ers in the state.) that can be reached within the valley where were going to camp. This mountain was the last 14er to be climbed in Colorado and is thought to be one of the most technical.
The route that we climbed was called Ellingwood's Arete or ledges which were named after Albert Ellingwood who first ascended this mountain in 1925. Albert Ellignwood climbed Cretone Peak, a neighboring 14er in 1916 and looked over and saw Crestone Needle. He was immediately drawn to it and decided that one day he would climb it. 9 years later he would return and establish what today is known as the route called Ellingwood's Arete.
Levi and I arrived at the trailhead to the base of the mountains right when the sun was setting. We hiked into the South Colony Lakes where we set up our tent for the evening. The next morning we woke up at a grueling 4:00am and began our hike to the base of the mountain. When we reached the base we waited till sunlight to begin our adventure up one of the most difficult 14ers in Colorado.
The climb was long and at hard times. It was difficult at times climbing and carrying a pack that weighed roughly 35-40 lbs. By noon we were about 65 percent of the way up the mountain and we knew that we must keep going. We were hoping that no thunderstorms or rain showers would develop because that would have really hampered our attempts at climbing. The one thing about this climb is that once you start there is no other way off the mountain except for up and over. By 5:00pm we were gearing up to climb the last few hundred vertical feet. We were exhausted and we knew that we had underestimated what it took to tackle a mountain this hard. We had hoped to be at the top and descending down by now but we couldn't let that get us down, instead we had to keep going. Our new goal was to get up to the top before nightfall. At 8:00pm it was starting to get dark and we were on the last section of the climb. This was the hardest part of the mountain and we were already taking deep breaths in between each footstep. Levi and I grunted our way up the final leg of the mountain and scrambled to the top and finally could see off the back side of the mountain.
The joy of climbing the mountain had finally come to fruition, we were on top and nothing had gotten in the way, but that joy only lasted a few moments. It was now dark and we had to get off the mountain. We looked around to see if we could find the route we were supposed to take down but our headlamps would only shine so far and proved to show that getting down that night was not a possibility. We decided to dress as warmly as we could and spend the night at the peak of the mountain.
This was one of the coldest nights of my life. Every half an hour I would awake to my body shivering from having its heat taken from the cold rock underneath me and the cold air above me. I would attempt to try to regain feeling in my arms, hands, legs, and feet throughout the rest of the evening every time I awoke. This task proved not to be easy and made the night miserable.
Before leaving on this trip I had told a few people that if I had not contacted them by 2:00am Friday morning that something had gone wrong and to take further action. It had now passed that hour and I new that people back in Colorado Springs were trying to figure out where we were and what had happened to us.
The morning came slow but surely enough. When it became light enough for us to see we stood up, still shivering, packed our bags, and began our decent down the Broken Hand Pass (the class 4 decent down off the mountain). We were still devoid of energy, semi-dehydrated, and cold from the previous 20 hours. Step after step we descended down the mountain. It seemed as if we were never going to get off but after 3-4 hours of walking we had finally made it down and to our camp site. What a relief!!!!. I went to lay down in the shade and Levi went to filter some water from the stream. Within five minutes of lying down I heard some people yelling our names. It was Alan, Skyler, and Jason (friends from Colorado Springs) that had come out to rescue us if needed. When we saw each other there was a mutual sense of relief.
Levi and I had conquered Crestone Needle. For me this was one of the most difficult things that I had done in my life. Years of rock climbing experience helped but were not the only thing needed to climb this mountain. I am thankful and know that God's hand protected us throughout our journey up and down the mountain by keeping us out of harms way and allowing good weather for more than 30 straight hours.
After climbing Crestone Needle I decided that, even though Long's Diamond Face may actually be an easier climb, I am not going attempt it this year. Maybe next summer, maybe never, who knows.....
God I thank you for allowing safe passage up and down the mountain, For the amazing weather, For friends that were praying for us, For the friends that came out to rescue us (not knowing what to expect but coming anyways), For just the simple fact that you love us.
