In this solo hiking vlog, Ryel Kestano chronicles his long‑awaited ascent of Longs Peak, one of Colorado’s most iconic 14,000‑foot mountains. He opens with a brief overview of the peak’s stature, visibility across the Front Range, and its place among the state’s 58 "14ers." After sharing that he’s wanted to climb it for about twenty years, Ryel sets out on the well‑known Keyhole Route on an early October day. He describes the route in detail—approximately 15 miles with 5,000 ft of elevation gain—starting with a mellow forest hike, moving onto alpine tundra, passing creeks, and eventually reaching the high‑altitude boulder field, the keyhole, and the technical Class 3 sections known as the Narrows. Along the way he notes practical timing advice (early starts as early as 2 a.m., his own 8:30 a.m. start), a memorable moose encounter, and the increasing physical strain from altitude and fatigue. The narrative builds to the summit push, where he navigates steep, loose rock and narrow ledges before reaching the summit alone, feeling exhausted yet exhilarated. The video concludes with Ryel thanking viewers and inviting them to join future trail adventures.
Chapters
Longs Peak is one of Colorado's most famous and highest mountains. Tops out at 14,259 feet, one of the famous 14ers— mountains above 14,000 feet, of which there are 58. And it's a mountain you can see from much of the state, all over Denver and Fort Collins and all along the Front Range out to the East Plains. Dominates the mountain skyline. I've been wanting to climb Longs Peak for probably about 20 years, ever since I first moved out to Colorado. And on this beautiful early October fall day, decided it was the day and headed out up the trail. I'm climbing up a route called the Keyhole Route, which is the most well-known and well-traveled route up to the summit, about 15 miles 5,000 feet of elevation gain from the trailhead to the summit. Starts out on this nice mellow hike up through the forest, past a couple creeks, and then after a few miles emerges out of the forest onto the high alpine tundra. And now getting some really sweet views out to the east toward the plains. Here you can see Longs Peak itself and the diamond climbing face. Got a pretty late start this morning. It's advised to get started even as early as 2:00 a.m., um, but I didn't get there until about 8:30 or so, so trying to move fast here and gain some ground. This was a really special moment, encountering this moose just off the trail on the way up. We spent a few moments just checking each other out before I retreated and carried on And working ever higher. The trail here is pretty mellow, nice gentle incline before it gets much steeper and more challenging later in the hike. Now about 12,000 feet up and really starting to get a sense of the elevation. The height of this giant mountain. This is the last of an actual trail before we now head into the boulder field and then up towards the keyhole that you can see there. On the ridgeline. And getting ever closer now. I passed a lot of people on the way up. I was the last person to attempt the summit on this day. And this is now through the keyhole. And out onto the ledges. Now we're really off trail, getting into Class 3 terrain where you have to use your hands and be thoughtful about where you place your hands and feet and maintain balance. It's a pretty straight sheer drop down there behind me, so being pretty careful about every step. And fatigue and the altitude is definitely kicking in here. And here's the trough, about a 600-foot, very steep incline up through a lot of loose rock. This section is called the Narrows. There's a few spots that are only about 4 feet wide as you work your way around the mountain to the final summit push. And here we are at the summit of Longs Peak. I got the whole summit to myself. Definitely feeling pretty wrecked at this point, but super stoked to have made it and to have the time and space to spend all day on this really spectacular mountain that has been on my bucket list for a really long time.
Thanks for coming along with me on this hike up Colorado's Long's Peak.
Hope you've enjoyed it and hope to see you out on the trail sometime.
