Blitzen Ridge
Ypsilon Mountain
Rocky Mountain National Park
July 21, 2018
Justin and I have been slowing ticking off some of the most classic climbs in Colorado. Blitzen ridge is a very popular and often talked about climb in Rocky Mountain National Park. The description on Mountain Project even describes it as the best ridge climb in the park. Despite forecasted rain, we decided to go for it anyway with an alpine start and a plan to be back to the car by 1pm. We left Lawn Lake trailhead at 3:30am with balmy temperatures and clear skies. The 4.5 mile hike to Ypsilon Lake went quickly with one little start when we noticed a set of eyes watching us. It reminded me of a trip report I had read where the climbers had an encounter with a mountain lion on this exact trail. We don't know if it was a mountain lion, but we started talking a little louder and kept a closer eye on our surroundings. Reaching the lake just before sunrise, we stopped to eat, enjoy the beautiful scenery and talk about our route options.
We elected to bushwhack around to the north side of the lake where we climbed steep grassy slopes that turned into the ridge and got narrower and narrower the further we continued up. From here we got our first look at the crux of the route, the 4 aces. The aces are diamond shaped, rocky high points or sub peaks along the ridge that are slightly technical with a 5.4 YDS rating and have plenty of exposure on all sides. Route descriptions had indicated that you should traverse around the first two aces on the left side, then climb directly over the third and traverse around the fourth ace on the right side. 
In an attempt to follow the route description and take the path of least resistance, we started traversing around the left side on good, but skinny ledges. 
After traversing for a ways, we worked our way to a saddle between two of the aces. Assuming we had passed the first two, we then proceeded to head up and over the ace directly in front of us. At the top, we quickly realized, we were already on the 4th ace and the headwall was directly in front of us. Ha, so much for staying on route.
As we continued up the last 1,000 feet, we could see people up top relaxing and enjoying the sun. Due to the very easy route up from trail ridge road, this is a popular mountain. Along the way, I spotted a brilliant red, translucent stone with smooth facets on the side that was exposed. It was embedded in a giant boulder, but the part that was visible was probably half an inch by three quarters of an inch long. We had never seen anything like it before and were unsure what it was. At home later in the evening, I did some research and think it might have been rhodochrosite, the Colorado state mineral.
At the summit, it was a regular party. Some girls from the nearby YMCA camp were drinking beer and everyone was sharing gummy dinosaurs. Even the marmots were hanging out hoping for some scraps. Being that it was only 9:30 and there was no sign of rain in the near future, we decided to traverse to another nearby 13er, Mount Chiquita, before descending back to the car.
As we wandered down the SW slopes of Mount Chiquita, we passed through fields of beautiful wildflowers. 
We saw giant bunches of blue columbines; more than I think I've ever seen in one place before. Despite some haze from nearby wildfires, the views of Longs peak and the Mummy range were impressive. Reaching the car at 1:30, we promptly kicked off our shoes and popped open some beers; another fun adventure in the books.
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