In late August Colorado climber and hand surgeon Ken Duncan and I made the first ascent of the southeast prow of Cloud Peak in the Cloud Peak Wilderness. After a rough 12-mile hike from the east, we camped between Sapphire and Diamond lakes. At dawn the next day we were on the Nose-like arête. The climbing turned out to be harder than we expected, with multiple pitches of run-out 5.11—Duncan took the hardest, boldest leads. After 12 pitches we summited at dusk. Whipped, we bivied without bivy gear, setting new PRs for short-term misery. We named the route No Climb for Old Men (IV 5.11cR A2).

Mark Jenkins, AAC