Longs Peak
A Rocky Mountain Chronicle
"Trimble writes with passion and understanding about a subject he obviously loves. ...even those who have climbed Longs Peak, or attempted to do so, love to read about it. To such people, this book was dedicated. ...Trimble has a grasp of history, both the more recent kind as well as the sort that is written upon the rocks." —Vacation Book Review
Highest point in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, Longs Peak has a history to rival any western mountain. From its "discovery" by Major Stephen Long in 1820, to the first recorded ascent by John Wesley Powell in 1868, to a twentieth century filled with mountaineering feats, the story of Longs Peak shines with rejuvenating spirit and fascinating fact. At 14,255 feet, it rises high above the cities along the Front Range, offering hikers the opportunity for refuge and climbers the challenge of The Diamond.
Trimble's text spans the raising of the Rockies, tundra and forest ecology, and a history peopled with some remarkable characters. Isabella Bird summed up Longs Peak over a century ago: she believed it was "much more than a mountain." Trimble proves her right.
(Rocky Mountain Nature Association, 1984)
