Capitol Peak, located in Colorado, rises to a height of 14,130 feet making it Colorado’s 29th highest peak. What it lacks in elevation it more than makes up for in beauty. I slept decent and finally the woke up at 4:30 a.m. We quickly got dressed and ate some breakfast. During the evening the moon and the stars were out in the millions, it was so bright we all thought the sun was coming up. We departed at 5 a.m. up the slopes towards the Mt. Daly / Capitol Peak saddle. Soon enough we found ourselves at the knife-edge, one of the most fabled spots on any Colorado 14er. I started out with my feet traversing along the left side of the ridge, then had to straddle the ridge briefly for about 10 or 15 feet. I felt like I had to move like a monkey. The knife-edge was not as bad as I had heard. A fall here would definitely not be good, but if you take your time and focus on your movement, it would be hard to fall off. We topped out on Capitol Peak at 10 a.m. taking us five hours to ascend from Capitol Lake. The views were some of the best I have ever seen in Colorado. It was a Bluebird day with no wind. There were sharp jagged ridgelines, high alpine lakes, and snowfields in the landscape. From Pyramid Peak and The Maroon Bells, all the way around to Mt. Sopris, the peaks of the Elk Range laid out in all directions. We made it back across the knife-edge and back down to Capitol lake in another 4 hours. Then from camp to trail head another 2.5 hours. Total round trip 17 miles, not including all the trips to the lake for fresh water.
Capitol is well-known for its "Knife Edge," a 150 ft. narrow and jagged section found on the main route of Capitol Peak. The Knife Edge is very exposed on both sides, making it a mental challenge for many climbers. That is the Knife edge behind me in this picture.
Forearm Stand/Pincha Mayurasana
I will have a picture like this on all the highest places in the world!
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