Trail Monkey

La Plata had a hiking itch, some unfinished trail business. He called it the Monkey.

El Lobo Rapido shared the itch. It began in 2011 with their epic snowshoe over Georgia Pass.

Honey Badger was added in 2014 to walk the divide. The trio stood at the knife’s edge before retreating from Argentine Pass.

This year the Colorado duo planned an audacious double. A weekend of hammering designed to chuck the monkey.

Successful day one was twenty miles of alpine delight. Six peaks at or near 13,000 ft before a light rain cooled their descent from Georgia Pass.

The next day dawned with ominous clouds building. A pair of tired hikers trudged up to Argentine Pass watching the high peaks disappear in the mist.

While standing at the windy pass leading to the knife edge a sober reassessment was made. The monkey lives!