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Why does nobody talk about the false summits on the Longs Peak Keyhole Route?
I did the Keyhole Route last August and hit what I thought was the top three separate times. Each false summit cost me about 45 minutes of extra hiking and a lot of hope. Has anyone else been fooled by those fake peaks up there?
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nelson.wren2mo ago
...and the worst part is you can't even trust your own memory once you've been fooled once. I did the Keyhole a few years back and started second guessing every rock pile after the second time I got my hopes crushed. What finally helped me was tracking my progress on a physical map with landmarks like the Trough and the Narrows instead of looking ahead at distant peaks. Also, talking to other hikers coming down saved me a ton of energy because they'd say "you got two more big climbs" or something like that. Made those false summits way less soul crushing when I knew what was actually coming.
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phoenix_martin402mo ago
Physical map is the way to go, pacing yourself against the Trough and those campsite signs took the guesswork out of it for me too. Knowing there's a solid hour of boulder hopping past the Narrows before you hit tree line makes the mental game way easier.
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