It’s NA SOTA Day!  Since I just returned from an overseas trip the day before, I was looking for an activation which does not need a lot of planning. So I went out  to activate Estes Cone (WØC/FR-Ø39) which is located at the border of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) and Roosevelt National Forest, just a few short miles south from Estes Park. The trail-head is shared with the Longs Peak trail-head. Due to the popularity of Longs Peak (WØC/FR-11Ø – 14259 ft / 4346 m) in summer, the parking lot fills up (very) quickly in the morning.  The weather forecast was calling for a sunny day. The freezing conditions at the TH combined with the altitude and winds  were an indicator for a chilly activation.

Trailhead: 9537 ft / 2907 m
Summit:   11006 ft / 3348 m
Elev. gain: 2000 ft / 610 m
Roundtrip: 6.0 mi / 9.7 km

Compare this summit with my other activated summits

How to get there:
Take US34 from Loveland towards Estes Park through Big Thompson Canyon. In Estes Park, take Highway 7 (S St. Vrain Avenue) to the Lily Lake area. The nine mile drive is very scenic and represents the Estes Park area very well. Right at mile-marker 9, turn right (west) onto Longs Peak Road  and follow the road up the hill until the parking lot/trail-head/Ranger station. Everything is marked very clearly and it is easy to find.

Parking/Trailhead

View Larger Map

Red Tape:
There are no fees, even-though the trail is on RMNP area. No dogs are allowed on the trail. Parking lot fills up quickly in summer early fall due to the popular Longs Peak hike.

The Ascent:

From the trail-head, you follow the trail to Longs Peak. It’s well marked and the trail is in great shape. The moderate ascent leads you though mainly pine forest with very few openings. After approx. half a mile, it splits from the Longs Peak trail – keep right towards Estes Cone. The trail continues through conifers until you encounter a small creek. A wooden bridge is provided to keep your feet dry. On the opposite side of the creek is an old and abandoned gold mine (Eugenia Mine). Based on a sign on the remaining log cabin, it was not a very productive endeavor.
Shortly after the mine you will reach the Moore Park back-country campsite at about 9730 feet (2966 m). The trail gets steeper and most of the net elevation gain is in the last 1.0 miles. You will notice the change in pace after the last split of the trail. Now it is not just steep, but also rocky and harder to navigate, since a clear trail is no longer visible. Just follow the stone cairns – there are a lot of them. Still, sometimes they are hard to spot.
You can reach the very top of the cone by scrambling up a scree.

The Summit:
The 360-degree views from the top are stunning. Nearby Longs Peak and Mt. Meeker had a cloud cover and the wind was blowing hard from north-west, making it a chilling experience. I had to wear all of  the clothes I had carried up. I took a few quick photographs/videos ‘balancing’ at the top, when a strong gust blew  my baseball cap down into the trees – so much for leaving no trace. I decided to take advantage of the activation zone defined by the SOTA rules by climbing down ~25 feet, looking for a sheltered spot to setup my gear. I found a good spot on the lee side of the mountain. Perched like a bird, I sat under some big rocks which made the cold wind bearable.

The setup was made quickly, even-though it was quite steep and I had to make sure not to loose more equipment. I did not dare to get the solar panel out since the wind was still blowing at about 20-30 miles/h. I was joined by a chipmunk after a while – he was not shy at all and was running over my FT-817 and tried his teeth on the rubbery cord of the microphone. That’s when he crossed the line with me and I had to send him home to his tree. The wind died down a little after 12:00 o’clock making the experience a little warmer and nicer. Another hiker was quite interested in my activities. Overhearing my QSO with Ws1K in MA (~1800 mi / 2900 km), he was impressed to hear that this was possible with just 5 W.

The Descent:
After spending more than two hours under my rock, I felt kind of stiff and packed up my gear and headed down the same way I came up. I had been successful in activating a new summit (first activation) and collect my points.

Some video impressions:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nFI1NCkRsc

If you would like to leave questions or comments, please do so through Youtube.

I activated this summit again on January 2nd, 2012. You can find the trip-report right here.

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!! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers... there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required - enjoy!