Hiking Bierstadt is popular for three main reasons...first, the climb is fairly easy, and an excellent trail marks the entire route. Second, it's barely 90 minutes from Denver, and third, the trailhead access atop Guanella Pass is exceedingly easy to get to. Guanella Pass connects Georgetown and I-70 to US 285 at Grant. Just follow the signs from either Georgetown or Grant and drive to the top of the pass...the road is paved to start at either side, but becomes dirt on either side of the pass for several miles. Still, it' s well-kept, and just about any car should be able to make it. There is ample parking atop the pass, and you really can't miss it.

We showed up at the trailhead about 7:00am, and there was already a crowd of several dozen vehicles. Inspecting the register, there was a large church group and at least three Boy Scout troops hiking today, and the line of people was visible all the way to the summit! I estimated no less than 200 people were out on the trail!

The first section of the hike is actually a gradual downhill through the Guanella Pass Willows...a huge willow-populated mud bog that has seen more than its share of abuse from hikers over the years. About 2 years ago, the Colorado 14er Initative came in and actually constructed wooden bridges over a large part of this area. On the surface, that might seem like a desecration of the wilderness, but in fact it helps maintain a single trail and minimizes the impact to the surrounding area (not to mention keeps your feet from sinking in the mud!). After a small stream crossing, the trail begins to climb gentle slopes towards Bierstadt, and gradually steepens as you approach the ridgeline just south of the summit. From the ridgeline, the summit is a mild rock-scramble to the north for a couple hundred yards.

So that's the generic description. Our hike was complicated by the rather large number of people on the mountain...especially the aforementioned church group, which was full of, frankly, annoying kids – running all around the tundra, yelling, leaving their trash all over the place, etc., etc. The group's adults weren't even trying to keep these kids reigned in, and we were both extremely annoyed at this lack of consideration for the fragile environment. Of course, it was to our satisfaction to see most of them wheezing and exhausted by the time they got near 13,000 feet!

The only real obstacle of the day was the rock scramble that leads to the summit. Being Penny's second 14er, she wasn't too used to scrambling up and over and around rocks, so we took our time there, and eventually made it without so much as a turned ankle! I was impressed with her determination to make it to the top!

Once on top, I removed the flag I was carrying and erected it on the summit. The other 30 or so folks up there reacted with everything from applause to tears, and everyone was touched by the gesture. We held a few moments of respectful silence in remembrance of the victims of September 11th.

After about a half-hour of resting and eating, we headed back down, slowly picking our way through the rocks and around all the people still climbing (felt kinda like a salmon going upstream). The descent was fairly uneventful, and the weather stayed beautiful through the entire morning and early afternoon. As we finished the last few steps into the parking lot, we were all tired (the dogs were rapidly loosing their enthusiasm), but very happy to have made the trek...for ourselves and to show our support for our nation.