Crestone Needle: Ellingwood Arete Direct Start
On our descent from Longs‘ summit a month ago, Tom and I laid down loose plans for our next trip to another alpine wonderland. It didn‘t take long for the somewhat infamous Ellingwood Arete on Crestone Needle to surface in the conversation, this is a route I‘ve literally been drooling over since I first read about it four years ago. It seems if you‘re into 14ers and alpine climbing, the Arete is one of those must-do routes. Tom headed down to Westcliffe Wednesday and booked a hotel and a Jeep rental as I had class until later in the evening. After I got out I high tailed it on down to the Westcliffe Inn and let myself into the room to find a snoozing Tom and Aaron (he had plans to hit the Crestones the next day as well and conveniently bummed a hotel and ride to the upper TH). Keep reading…