17-Oct-2026, It has always been my dream to make a trip to the Rocky mountains in the United States. So I was pleasantly surprised to see my work schedule; they are sending me to Denver. This is only a one and a half  hour drive to the National park of the Rocky Mountains. And what’s even better? …

My previous project finished a day earlier than planned, this means I get to spend a full weekend at the “Rockies”. This is a very last minute trip and I wasn’t expecting to be going here at all, which makes it even more exciting. From the airport of Denver it’s a ninety minute drive to Estes Park; a small and scenic mountain town, which acts as the base camp for people who like to visit the Rocky Mountains National Park. I booked my stay at ‘The Outpost Rocky mountains’ lodge, a new and pretty decent accommodation. I am enjoying my stay here, but I do have one problem; the bed. The mattress is extremely soft and the pillows are very firm. I was not able to sleep well at all and I woke up many times. At five am I get up with a stiff neck and a strong headache. It’s not the best start of the day but I am too excited for my hike and I will not let it ruin my mood or my day. I make my own breakfast (yoghurt and granola) and brew my own coffee with a single drip filter. It’s a very slow start of the day, and exactly how I want it.

My objective for today is hiking on the Longs Peak mountain via the keyhole route. According to a hikers guide I found in my room, attempting to reach the summit is extremely challenging, involving scrambling and climbing on the final leg. My goal is to reach the Keyhole spot itself; from there, I will see if I want and am able to push through to the summit. It all depends on the time, the weather, mountain situation and how confident I feel.

I start the hike at seven in the morning, the sun is slowly coming up and over the mountains, shining through the pine cone forest as I am making my way up. Recently, a blanket of snow covered these mountains and the trees, we are rewarded with a white forest and a golden glow from the sun. What a magnificent sight to behold. My headache is completely gone. Despite the morning cold, it will turn out to be a beautiful sunny day with temperatures around 15 degrees Celsius, very light winds and a clear blue sky.

Early on in the hike, as I attempted to make a nice shot of a water stream (I can already imagine the stunning photo I am about to make), I step on the rock in the water. Not realizing the rock is wet and slippery. Not being able to catch myself, I slip and fall – ouch! The stream is shallow but my right foot dips in the water and is soaking wet. But even worse; my phone goes under as well. My heart dropped, this is the worst possible moment to break my phone. It is safe to say this might ruin my trip (or at least my mood)

I was immensely relieved to see the phone still working after it took that ice-cold bath. I hadn’t hurt myself and I was able to continue my journey, albeit with a wet right foot. But all the beauty in the forest made me soon forget about that. It also makes me forget about my Quad muscles which have been on fire from the recent power yoga classes. My Quads are on fire but I know they can hold out until the end.

After two hours, around nine am, I reach the intersection of Chasm lake and Longs Peak summit. The lake is only a few hundred meters away from the trail intersection. The lake is the spot where most people are heading to. I enjoy the scenery of the lake from a distance as I am taking a short break. As I continue my hike I turn away from the lake and into the direction of the Keyhole and Longs Peak summit. From here the trail becomes very quiet and there were only a handful of people to be seen in the distance. I am truly loving this hike, especially turning away from the crowds, it’s so quiet and peaceful. I feel like I am one with the mountain.

I have passed the tree line a while ago and the hike continues over the mountain tundras, a very exposed and open area, where one is very vulnerable for bad weather. But even though it is mid-October, the weather is exceptionally good and the views into distance are absolutely amazing. After several hours into the hike, I am starting to get hungry. I need carbs and proteins on a strenuous hike like this. I come prepared; with a big box full of pasta and a Salmon filet that I ordered as takeaway last night. The food might be cold but it tastes great nonetheless, especially when you are hungry and craving for energy. It’s something I always do on a long hike like this; order pasta the day before. It works every time! I eat half of it now and the rest later.

As I continue my way through the white tundra, the keyhole feature become visible in the distance. The trail stops and in front of the keyhole lies a large boulder field, comparable to the size of 5 football fields. It is roughly one kilometer long to hop and scramble over these boulders.

Normally I love this kind of stuff, jumping and climbing over rocks. But in the snow (and sometimes ice) it becomes a whole different story. Wet rocks always scare me a bit and slows me down significantly. Then as I am about to start scramble over these rocks, I feel light headed and slightly weak. Suddenly I was not feeling very well. Not as bad that I had to stop immediately, but not great either. Was it the bad night sleep? Was I pushing myself too hard? Was the sun too strong (later I found that I had pretty bad facial sunburns)? or was it altitude sickness? I wasn’t sure what was going on but I decided to keep going, I was so close to the “top” (my choice of the top, not the actual summit). To stay safe, I take it extra slow and take many short breaks before reaching the center of the keyhole. I am not tired, nor am I feeling hot, and I am so close right now!

Especially the last few meters are very hard and steep with the boulders covered in snow. I am not afraid to admit there were a few brief moments where I actually felt scared and wasn’t sure if I should keep going. But I can’t give up now. It’s not even my hardest climb by far, but mentally I was being challenged. As I come within hands-reach of the “top” an American Pika (small mammal that lives in these mountains) comes to say hello and poses for the camera. In that moment he is my best friend and my mental support to keep going because he is sitting exactly where I would finish my hike. 

What an effort and challenge but I am so glad I made it! And that I made it safely! I reach the Keyhole entry at 11.45 am. It was a ten kilometer hike (one-way), with an elevation gain of more than 1100 meters. This is certainly not “a walk in the park”. At an altitude of 4008 meters above sea level the air is noticeably thinner, making it a bit harder to breathe. I am also realizing this is the highest point I’ve ever hiked in my life, so far! It’s a well-earned spot to enjoy the rest of my pasta.  

The view from the other side of the keyhole is truly magnificent. More rugged and dramatic than I had seen before reaching this point. It is well worth the trip. I could also see the route that takes you to the summit and I say to myself “Hell No! I am not doing that today!”. Maybe on another day when there is no snow on those rocks and when I am feeling stronger and more focused, but right now I am happy exactly where I am. I enjoy the scenery for a bit and after a thirty minute break, I make my way back down. It’s fun climbing up a mountain, but now I have to go the same way back, and that will take some time and energy as well. I am relieved to have cleared the boulder area again, due to the snow it’s very difficult to find the best route back and snow requires extra care and effort.

Half past four I finally reach the car and I am so relieved when I finally made it. The last part of the hike was not fun anymore, my head was not feeling good at all, my neck stiff and my shoulders hurt. In the car I discover the sunburn on my face; I must have greatly underestimated the snow reflecting the UV light into my face.

Despite the fact that the second part of the hike was less pleasurable, I do not regret a single second of it. It is an amazing day with gorgeous scenery. I feel so blessed to be here and to experience this beautiful part of nature. I am looking forward to tomorrow, as I am planning another long hike. No matter how I am feeling in this moment, I am not inclined to give up my hike tomorrow.

First order of business is to go back to my room, first take a cold bath to recover my legs and second a nice hot shower to relax my shoulders. I am very grateful for my wish coming true today. Now I will go to bed and take a long nap with some well needed rest.

A 90 second video compilation of the hike:

See you all again tomorrow where I will hike on the Flattop mountain.

~ THE END ~