November 22, 2022
Martha Couloir
You don't know if you don't go. Laura was wanting to try something in the park this weekend so we decided that we would take a look at Martha Couloir. There were no conditions reports so we took our chances and made the hike into the Long's cirque of Rocky Mountain National Park. We started from the Longs Peak Trailhead at 5:55 am and steadily made our way up the trail, taking all the shortcuts we know. It was a beautiful morning and the sun was shining. With only a short stop to put on harnesses and grab a snack, we made it to Chasm Lake just before 9 am. The couloir was not in great shape, holding almost zero ice. Laura talked me into going to take a look and by the time I knew it, I was a pitch into the climbing and heading up. We climbed on mostly wet rock and terrible snow for several pitches, finding a mass of cams left behind from someone who had recently bailed on the climb. The climbing was fun and a bit challenging, being mostly rock. We topped out on the couloir at 2 pm and rather than going to the summit of Mt. Lady Washington, we decided to cut down toward Chasm Junction. The long talus hop back to the Longs Peak felt never ending, but once we reached the trail, we made good time, once again taking the shortcuts back to the trailhead and arriving at the car at 4:30 pm. Today was a fun day in the mountains and it's hard to beat the beauty of RMNP!
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