By John Cameron Crestone Needle rises from the valley floor as an imposing and jagged peak. It was the last 14,000-foot peak in Colorado to be climbed, a feat once presumed to be impossible. During a daring expedition in 1916, two of the best known climbers in North America would prove that the summit was possible. Today the Needle (14,203 feet) is still considered one of the most technically challenging 14ers in the state. To reach the summit by the easiest route requires difficult scrambling with high exposure that can quickly be complicated by inclement weather. Located in the central…
