https://imgur.com/a/Pn3npBb Full album with descriptions of the features.
I made my attempt at the Keyhole Route today. Goddamn. 16 miles with 5 of them scrambling over boulders. I had shit sleep, ate like 600 calories the day prior, and didn't drink enough water even though I drained a camelbak and two gatorades. By the time I got to the top of The Trough, a 500ft vertical scramble, I was so dehydrated that I vomited twice while looking at The Homestretch from that teeny tiny hole at the top. 100 feet to go, wasn't going to start vomiting and potentially passing out at a 45 degree angle 14.2k' up. Now I have to do it either next week or next year.
Technically the shitpost came from the mountain because for a brief moment I had a signal and tried to make this post instead of enjoying the majesty of nature in one of its most sacred places.
edit: I also got lost coming back on The Narrows and got to confront a fear of heights by climbing over boulders hundreds of feet above granite slabs. Won't do that again.
That's dope. Mostly stick below treeline because I am big coward. Man I gotta find a solid group of people to get out more!
The treeline is where things get really interesting. Ecosystems that take centuries to regenerate, where all of the trees on the approach grow horizontally because of the snowpack and wind, where bryophytes and tiny wildflowers become fascinating because they can survive such an extreme environment. I'll probably never be comfortable enough with capital M Mountains to chase 14ers but everything up there is as fragile as it is impressive. The risk and effort of getting there usually deter hikers that aren't naturalists with good etiquette so it's 50% more friendly above the trees. One storm cloud though. Especially in the Rockies, I see one cloud up there and it's a safety time-out until it changes. There's nothing worse than being caught in a hail storm and knowing you can't hide anywhere that won't kill you if lightning strikes in that general area.