I climbed Crestone Needle with two other guys today. It was one of the most incredible things I've ever done.
After a 1,500 foot hike up a snow field to the top of Broken Hand Pass, we hiked up a short trail to the base of the main peak, from there it was a 1,500 foot scramble up to the summit. When we got there we weren't actually sure if it was the top or not because there was so much fog. It soon cleared and we had an INCREDIBLE view, it looked something like what I imagine Everest would look like.
We were going to try the traverse to the second peak, but it is said to be nearly the hardest in Colorado and it began to snow when were considering it so we decided it wasn't a good idea. For the decent it was foggy on and off, mostly on though.
Back down at the top of Broken Hand we found a colony of of marmots, one of which was fatter than any marmot I've ever seen, it must have weighed 30 or 40 pounds.
All in all it was an amazing experience. I am looking forward to climbing many more over my life.
