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Long's Peak (4346m) is one of Colorado's iconic "14ers" with its summit standing at a proud 14, 259 ft above sea level. Growing up in its shadow, my eyes often drifted from the soccer field to its daunting east face, known as "the diamond". When I was concentrated on running up and down a flat field while chasing a soccer ball, I always wanted to know what it was like up there. What it would be like to be up there, among the clouds, storms, ice, snow, granite. Previously I had only run up and down the standard class III  Keyhole route which is documented in a previous post . While Long's Peak is well known for this moderate though serious trekking route, its true notoriety comes from its dead vertical east face. The Diamond is a storied alpine wall in American climbing, perhaps the most notorious of any in the lower 48 states. The price of admission is 5.10 via the Casual Route. From here there are a plethora of routes with differing levels of commitmen...