Mt. Bierstadt/Mt. Evans

What with all the nice weather we've been having lately, I definitely had the "itch" to get out and do some 14ers. I decided to go for some of the more popular ones and settled on Bierstadt with plans to do Evans the same day. The shot to the left is Bierstadt the day before I would actually hike it.

I left Colorado Springs after work on 6/30 and drove to Georgetown. After a brief stop at the visitors center and Subway, I was headed up Guanella Pass Road. Since they were doing some construction it was a bit slow but I made it to the trailhead in about 20 minutes or so. I stopped and walked around a bit and actually walked the first mile or so of the trail. I was curious to see the willows and the stream crossing. As for the willows (somewhat exaggerated by Roach) they were completely benign due to the nice foot bridges that had been erected. And the stream was easily crossed by some logs.

After completing my reconnaissance I headed back to my Jeep to find a place to camp for the night. After checking out a Forest Service campground ($12 a night for a place to pitch your tent and a vault toilet!) I found a nice spot about a mile from the trailhead and made camp there. My site was just a few feet from the road so I left my food and most of gear stored there. The weather forecast predicted lows in the 40's but I later remembered this was for Georgetown and not necessarily where I was staying. I was actually about 3,000 feet higher than G-Town so it did get a little chilly but I stayed fairly comfortable.

I woke up at 0400. Having laid everything out the night before, I was able to break camp, get dressed and head to the trailhead fairly quickly. For breakfast I had oatmeal and coffee. I decided to boil my water at the trailhead and have breakfast there. I measured out my water the night before and saved it in my Nalgene. I also decided to put some PB on a bagel for later in the day. As for my attire, I decided to forgo my hiking boots in favor of my trail shoes. I wore my NF pants, a winter-weight under armour long sleeve mock turtle neck with a light-weight long sleeve shirt on top. I also wore my REI rain jacket. As for snacks, I had several energy bars, some sausage, beef jerky and of course my bagel. Everything was inside my new Camelbak which holds 2 liters of water (I also packed a small gatorade). I had my breakfast at the trailhead and waited for first light before heading out, just around 0530. Since my car was the only one at the trailhead I had the trail all to myself.

The trail starts out very easy and stays this way for the first mile or till you start gaining elevation. I was able to keep a fairly quick pace and reached the summit just after 7:30. After signing the summit log (just placed there the day before) I had something to eat and drink and headed towards the Sawtooth at 0800.


Looking back towards the Guanella Pass trailhead.

This was my first big mistake with regards to planning. I had heard alot about the "tooth" but was not at all prepared. All in all I spent about 3 hours crossing this when I would have been better off with going to the bottom towards Alpine Lake and then summitting back up to the trail. Once I did get through the snow and meager trail I did hook up with my intended trail which was extremely well marked with cairns.

Now being able to see where I was going thanks to the cairns, I made fairly good time to the summit of Evans. I wasn't sure what to expect since this summit can also be attained via a vehicle on the paved road but found out that its summit is nothing like Pikes. There was ample parking but to actually reach the summit you do have to actually walk a bit.


Looking down after just completing the "Tooth"

Having made it, by this time well later than I thought, after 11, I had some sausage, chocolate and gatorade. While I was catching my breath I had a chat with some visitors who had drove up. They seemed quite surprised that I had walked up, even more so when they learned I had started with Bierstadt. After we finished talking the woman asked how old I was. When I told her 41 she was quite chagrined because she was the same age.

After filling up I wondered over the parking lot area to use the restroom. I talked briefly with the ranger and asked about the weather which he said would be fine (it was). I then started back what I thought would be an un-adventurous return. The first couple of miles or so definitely were but I soon regretted my lack of planning. Thinking I would find the trail down the gulley (I had no intention of EVER doing the sawtooth again!) to the west of the trailhead, I soon found myself scrambling down some very steep, scree filled descents. Once I made it down I was able to found a faint trail but was still very steep (very thankful for my poles). It wasn't until I was below timberline that I began to relax and enjoy myself, sort of. I put on my IPod and was having reasonable success with the willows (I now appreciate what Roach was describing prior to the foot bridges being erected on the actual trail) until I eventually got to a point that I stopped trying to stay dry. I definitely missed not bringing my boots!


Looking back towards the "tooth" near the end of the day.

All in all, a good hike, but if doing it again I would try and get smarter and better understand the "tooth," or better yet, break it up into 2 different hikes, 2 different days (maybe one?).

This makes 13 for me (Pikes Peak, Elbert, Grays, Torreys, Harvard, Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross, Belford, Huron, Bierstadt and Evans).