19 replies to this topic

[John]

It's amazing what a simple statement on the forums can lead to. One guy says he has an interest in climbing Longs Peak and a few months later he and 17 of his friends achieve the same goal on the same day. Here are the celebrities at the Wednesday night get-together.



We only had two real guides on this adventure: Big Al and Igloo Ed. Both have climbed Longs several times. Lora and Allen say they wouldn't have made it without Ed. Bill and Sandy say they wouldn't have made it without Alan. Here's Ed in action.





On the far side of the Keyhole the shadows make photography a challenge, but I lightened this one enough that you can see Ed leading Allen.



Here's one I like of Ed on the Homestretch



The rock is blocking Ed but not his trekking poles.



After Ed got Lora and Allen to the top we got this group shot.



After about an hour on the summit most of us assumed that Sandy and Bill had turned back, but as I was getting ready to head back down the Homestretch, here they came!



Big Al helping Bill with the final steps to the top



Sandy summits!



I've enjoyed sharing pictures of my friends and their adventure on Longs Peak. I will never forget this day. You are like a second family to me and I love you very much.

[soatley]

It's amazing what guides can help you accomplish. You all were lucky to have Igloo Ed and Big Al leading the charge.

Sandy O

[Allie]

Really have enjoyed all your reports on GBUTH, and all the wonderful photos. Thanks, John, and we love you, too.

[Twinebender]

John, on 04 September 2010 - 12:24 AM, said:

I will never forget this day. You are like a second family to me and I love you very much.

Ditto Thanks for the memories John.

[Rhonda]

Another fabulous report and pictures. Three cheers for Big Al and Igloo Ed.

[hector]

I'll follow Ed anywhere, at any time. He's seen my highs and lows, but it doesn't matter -- he still takes me places I'd never get to without his help. Thanks, Ed!!!

Alan is wonderful. He saved my knee on Tuesday's Igloo Ed Sky Pond hike, and perhaps saved my entire Longs Peak experience by taking me to the chiropractor with him the day before I left for the Boulderfield. Thanks, Alan! Great job on coaching Sandy and Bill up Longs Peak!

Another guide you missed, John... YOURSELF! Thank you for being our guide to the Boulderfield for camping, and for everything you did for us there. I appreciate your camping skills. :smile:

[SandyP]

Those are amazing pictures, John! I love the one of Ed on the Home Stretch. What a perspective!

And thanks Lora for pointing out . . . I was just going to say as well. . . .it seems to me that Sir John did quite a bit of guiding and leading too! It was a fantastic team effort from those that knew what the heck they were doing to help us clueless and terrified newbies inch there way up -- well -- no one actually "inched" their way up but me. . . but I was suuuuuuure thankful for the patient ones who helped me do it. Next time, I really want to stop and take more pictures. Maybe I'll bring a much less cumbersome camera. Some of those views are just painful to miss because they are so stunning.

[DeeCeeM]

SandyP, on 04 September 2010 - 11:44 AM, said:

Next time, I really want to stop and take more pictures.

Hey, Bill, Sandy says she's going up Longs again. You in?

[JDgreen]

Most sincere thanks to Ed and Allan. I was calling Ed our Trail Boss and we were jokingly singing the "Rawhide" theme, for me mostly to keep my mind occupied and not thinking about what I knew was on the other side of the Keyhole.

[Bill 007]

DeeCeeM, on 04 September 2010 - 11:54 AM, said:

Hey, Bill, Sandy says she's going up Longs again. You in?

Probably not in this lifetime.

Bill
(Alas, climbers amnesia has settled in. I think having gotten over the fear of exposure, I might actually consider it again. Al, Michael & I were thinking that trying the Cable Route maybe worth a shot. I'm pretty comfortable with ropes so attempting that and then coming down the conventional route is in the back of my mind. I'm gonna keep it in the back for awhile though.)

[John]

Thank you my friends, but I am not really a guide. I'm just a fellow hiker. First, I get lost too easily to be a guide. Also, it requires all my strength to get myself up and down leaving little left over to help someone in trouble. For example, on the way down I had it in my mind to help Rick, but it was all I could do to get myself down. For me the hardest mile of Longs was the LAST mile...I was exhausted. Al and Ed on the other hand had energy to spare. I heard stories about Al on the Ledges and Narrows standing with his arms stretched out with his back toward the abyss so as to create security for those he was guiding as in, "you can't fall off. I'm in your way!" He also carried 35 pounds of energy drinks and supplies to keep his team going. He'd run up the hill to find the best route, and then back down to lead his people that way. And Ed made that crutch for Rick. I am in awe. Lora is right about having some camping skills. I got some of her tent stakes pounded through the very hard ground at the Boulderfield. And all my group stayed warm through the night which was one of my goals. But Ed and Al are in a category of their own, and we were very blessed to have their help.

[jflo]

Bill 007, on 04 September 2010 - 12:30 PM, said:

Probably not in this lifetime.

Bill
(Alas, climbers amnesia has settled in. I think having gotten over the fear of exposure, I might actually consider it again. Al, Michael & I were thinking that trying the Cable Route maybe worth a shot. I'm pretty comfortable with ropes so attempting that and then coming down the conventional route is in the back of my mind. I'm gonna keep it in the back for awhile though.)

I was hoping someone would be up for it again, considering my failure this year... I want to try it again, but this time be Prepared!!!

[Aaron]

John, I love that last photo of the group on the summit. That photo is the epitome of our forums family. That will be one of many images I'll always remember when thinking of the forums. Way to go everyone!

--Aaron

[Scrapinator]

Nice report, John. Lora, I would also follow Ed just about anywhere. You could not go wrong there.

[foxfire]

All these reports and pix are just great!

Foxter

Thank You!