Continued
Longs Peak Winter Solo,
14,255’
1/25/03
Aron Ralston
Published 8/01/03

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19. Summit shot, at 12:10 p.m. on Saturday January 25th, 2003. Calm and warm, but low visibility.

20. I went over to the North Face and took a few photos of my lower (some say better) half dangling carefree over the precipitous snowfields and rock barriers of the 'Cables' route.

21. Another shot looking down the North Face of Longs Peak, into the chasm's maw.

22. Ready for descent, I decided against downclimbing the chimney, which would've been faster, safer, and easier than what I ended up doing. But in the end I got off that damn Homestretch. (How many times did I think to myself, “It's called that cause I'm gonna have to stretch to get home”?) Even in writing this, I wonder if my adrenaline supplies have restocked themselves yet. It was hairball, epic, and the most death-defying climbing I've done on a winter 14er solo to date. I pushed my limits here—I'm not sure I've ever felt so far out there as when I was facing down the only option I had—the down-sloping traverse of cutting steps across 30' of 50-degree boilerplate ice with one tool, no crampons, and gloved microcrimps for handholds (generously spaced every 8 feet or so). Ahh—the drama. Bottom line, I got down, I made some dicey moves to get to my pack, retrieved it, put on my crampons, and safely maneuvered back to the Trough Couloir and my descent.

23. View from the Keyhole to Storm Peak, covered in the rime from the past three days of storm—coool.