Mt. Elbert ... the tallest mountain in Colorado. This one has been marked off the checklist! :)

After gaining some excitement from visiting high points in other states (New Jersey and Florida), I realized I probably needed to stand on Colorado's loftiest point before I went bonkers with visiting others. One of these weekends, I will likely visit the high points in Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. At 14,433 feet in altitude, Mt. Elbert stands as the tallest "14er" (among 54) and serves as the highest point in the entire state of Colorado. Only Mt. Whitney in California and Mt. McKinley (Denali) in Alaska are state high points taller than this one.

I traveled on Mt. Elbert's standard route on its northeast ridge. The trailhead is located close to Emerald Lake in Lake County and is reachable with a low-clearance passenger vehicle like mine. Visit 14ers.com for helpful directions and route descriptions.

It was a great day to be outdoors. I trust my photos below will give you a good idea of what the day was like.

-Steve

	Along The Way My first picture was taken right here, where the Mt. Elbert Trail begins from the Colorado Trail.
	Three photos as I journeyed up the trail.
	At this spot, I turned back and saw much of the trail I had walked on. If you click the adjacent photo to see it in a larger size, you can see Emerald Lake. Just a short distance from the lake and up the canyon, there is a gray spot among the trees. That is the trailhead parking lot!
	This large summit above timberline (top and middle) is the second "false summit" on this route. BOTTOM: Finally, the actual summit of Mt Elbert comes into view.

	The Mt. Elbert Summit
	Seven views from the top of Mt. Elbert. (I go counterclockwise.) TOP LEFT: Looking north, Mt. Massive and the North Halfmoon valley. TOP RIGHT: Looking toward the South Halfmoond valley with a plethora of peaks behind. SECOND LEFT: There is a 4-wheel drive that will take you all the way into the basin of this South Halfmoon valley. The Iron Mike Mine is near the end of the road. (More mountains in background) SECOND RIGHT: Facing the southwest, there are plenty of peaks out there. La Plata Peak, another 14er, stands prominently left of center. THIRD LEFT: Facing south toward the Collegiate Peaks and other mountains in the Sawatch Range. THIRD RIGHT: The southeasterly view of the Twin Lakes and the village of Twin Lakes. BOTTOM: Facing east. More of the summit of Mt. Elbert. Battling the sun was difficult, but you can at least see Turquoise Lake on the left.
	Two photos of myself on the Mt. Elbert. Here are my other 14er hikes: Pikes Peak (2002) Mt. Democrat, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Bross (2004) Mt. Princeton (2004) Mt. Sherman (2004) Mt. Yale (2006) Mt. Yale (2007) Quandary Peak (2007) Mt. Belford (2007) Mt. Sneffels (2007) Mt. Antero (2007) Mt. Sherman (2007)
	Three mountains of interest to me. TOP: Snowmass Mountain could be see way out there, and notice it is still largely covered in snow. That's why it's called "Snowmass!" ;) MIDDLE: A closer view of La Plata Peak. BOTTOM: I zoomed-in as much as I could to capture Mt. Princeton. The red arrow points to its faintly defined peak way out there. We'll see ... I might put this photo of my Mt. Princeton web site. :)

	Miscellaneous Photos Mt. Elbert is most recognizable by its distinct cliff on its eastern face. At the bottom of that basin is this green pond.
	As I traveled on the trail, I kept noticing Mt. Massive to the north. Here are three assorted photos of the mountain.
	Snow! To all my friends and acquaintences who live in wonderfully hot places like Arizona, Texas and Georgia, look at this large patch of snow in July! :)
	The wildflowers are at their peak, and this particular yellow flower were all around above timberline.
	I snapped this photo at 12:08 p.m. as I was returning and approaching the trees. Clouds had rolled in and the risk of rain and/or thunderstorms did not look to good. Until I arrived at my car at the trailhead at 1:20 p.m., there was no storm activity that I could see.