Day 15 - Prep for Mt. Elbert

Dave was able to call from camp today about 4:00 pm MT. They completed section 10 and hiked 2 miles into section 11, passing the Mt. Elbert trail head about 1/2 mile back. They will stay at this spot for two days. This spot was chosen for the water source. Earlier in the day they passed Mt. Massive, the 2nd tallest mountain in Colorado at 14,421. The guys thought about hiking to the top but due to the weather turning stormy, the decided to be safe and kept going. They were also unsure about the snow on the trail. In reality, they were just too tired! Tomorrow they will start early, backtracking the half mile and head up to Mt. Elbert, the tallest mountain in Colorado and the 2nd largest mountain in the contiguous US at 14,433 (just lower than Mt. Whitney at 14,495ish). They have seen a lot of people on the trail at this location. They were hiking to the top of Mt. Elbert. The parking lot is 1.3 miles from the trail head to the peak. The climb up is 3.3 miles. From the trail head to the top is 3850 feet. The guys are starting early to avoid any bad weather. They've been told that there is snow on Mt. Elbert but that it will not impede their climb. They are looking forward to a day of slack packing! His dinner tonight was a Mountain House, Beef Stroganoff, which he said was one of his favorites. A few of us were discussing Beef Stroganoff just today. The consensus was that when you work hard enough all Day long, all dinners are your favorite! Tomorrow they will take lots of pictures and videos. Since Dave has good cell coverage in camp he will text me a few pictures. We are watching that beard grow! Jane