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.:Getting to the trailhead:. .:The trail:. .:Trip Report:. One popular debate among peak baggers deals with exactly what counts as an "offical" summit. General rules of thumb say you have to climb at least 3,000 feet under your own power to call it "bagged". In the past, I had climbed Mount Evans via the Mount Evans highway on my trusty DiamondBack bike. Evans, along with Pikes Peak, are really the only two 'teeners you can do this type of ascent on, but purist will say it still doesn't count, climbing a 14er on a bike (even though you?re under your own power). That being the case, I decided to go ahead and climb Evans the old-fashioned way, using just my feet. After pondering various routes, I decided to try the Sawtooth Ridge via Mount Bierstadt. The Sawtooth is a Class 3 traverse (hand & foot climbing, some exposure) that most of the guidebooks call 'a fun, airy traverse' and so on. So I figured I'd give it a shot. Obviously, the first part of the trek involves bagging 14,060 ft. Mount Bierstadt first. The conventional trailhead lies at the top of Guanella Pass. Guanella is a fairly well maintained (mostly) dirt road that connects Georgetown on I-70 with Grant on US 285. For myself, I took off from Denver on a cool Saturday morning around 2 am or so. I know, I know...crazy. From Denver, the most straightforward way to get there is to head west on I-70 about 50 miles and take the Georgetown exit (228) under I-70. Turn right at the Total/Taco Bell and follow the signs for the Guanella Pass Scenic Byway. Use caution even on the paved sections of the pass! Several switchbacks are sharp and steep. This particular trip, the road was pretty well rutted and washboarded, but still passable. I reached the top of the pass about 4am and parked in the lot on the east side of the road. The morning was dark (duh) and COLD! A stiff breeze blew low clouds around the area, and a few flakes of snow passed by from time to time. I donned pretty much all the clothes I brought, flicked on my headlamp, and headed off on the Bierstadt trail about 4:15. The Bierstadt trail is extremely well marked and defined, thanks in great part to the efforts of the Colorado 14er Initiative crews. This volunteer organization is dedicated to minimizing environmental impact on the 14ers, and to that end, they identify and improve trails in order to keep people from blazing their own. The Bierstadt trail is a fine example of their work. For the first mile or so, it winds through a willowy bog, and in several places they've even constructed foot bridges to keep you from having to slog through the muck. Having been on this trail before (back in '96, I believe), I felt comfortable with just the light of my headlamp to guide me. Presently, the trail begins to switchback up the gentle west slopes of Bierstadt, and the trail gets a bit rocky, but still easy to follow. Several 5-foot high cairns mark the route, making it impossible to get lost in the morning twilight. The trail attains the top of the ridge several hundred yards south of the summit. A few minutes of boulder-hopping, and I was at the summit of Mount Bierstadt, just as the sun was rising over the mountains. The low gray clouds exploded into orange and yellow, illuminating the surrounding hills in quite a breathtaking display of color. Despite making the summit at 6:30 in the morning, I wasn't alone. There were a trio of guys behind me, and one already on the summit. After a few minutes of idle chat, we determined that we both had the same goal - crossing the Sawtooth to Mount Evans. After a few minutes of eating and bundling against the cold morning wind, we were off for the second leg of our journey. If we'd have known how grueling the next 7 hours were going to be, I think we might not have gone ahead with it... (continued on the Mount Evans page) |
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