NOTE: The pictures from this trip are on my work computer, and i will add them when I get back tomorrow.
This is my first attempt at a "fourteener" as all the native Coloradoans like to call them. If you are interested in more of them check out
www.14er.com, and they are all listed!
We started out the morning by meeting at Bob's house at 5:00am. We had originally intended to hike Mt. Bross, but on the way there, we remembered that Randy had emailed us that it was closed. So we decided to do Mt. Bierstadt.
On the way there we drove through a little town called Georgetown, and then headed up the mountains. The mountain road was under construction, but there was a sign that said it was to be finished in August of this year. That day, I learned the ways of Colorado road construction. They were not anywhere near finished. And we got to a certain point where there was a flagger and a pilot car to follow. We all assumed this was because they were working on the road. So we waited 10 minutes or so for the pilot car to get to our side of the construction, and we started moving. On the way up, the road was just as wide and in as good of condition as the other sections and there was not a single person working on the road. Not one! The only people there were the flaggers and the driver of the pilot car. We still have no idea why these people were even there that morning. And one wonders why they didn't finish in August...
We got there about 7:30 and we started up. It was a beautiful morning. It had snowed on all the mountain peaks around us overnight, and there was snow in the parking lot too. Everything had a dusting of snow on it.
The first park of the hike was pretty ease (as it was downhill). But every hiker knows that the last thing you want to do is go downhill, especially at the beginning, because then you'll have to come back up it at the end! But it dropped a few hundred feet and we hiked across a plain covered by low willow bushes. Luckily the trail was well cut through them, and in some of the low areas on the trail, there were raised walkways so we avoid the muddiest parts.
After we got past the plains, we started up the first steep part of the mountain. There were basically 3 parts of the hike. This steep part was first. The other three hikers were in much better shape than I, and they could have easily pushed ahead. But they stayed pretty close to me, and Bob stayed back with me.
After the initial steep section we got to a part that was a little more level, but you were still hiking up hill. One thing that was nice though, is that you could see the rest of your climb from here. You could see all the people above you, and where the trail went. It was a beautiful sight to be up on this mountain. As the day went on, we could see the snow level rising. The most snow we came across was about 3 inches. And hiking up the snow was not much of a problem at all.
We kept hiking here, and then we reached the last stage which is another steep climb to the top. At this point I had been moving pretty slowly, and I was pretty sure I wouldn't make it to the top. So I set a goal to make it to 13,000' instead. Randy and Doug pushed ahead and stopped at the 13,000' level. Bob and I kept moving, at a slower pace. When I got to that point, I wanted to go on, and I tried for about 10 more steps, and then I knew it was time to turn around. So we took a number of pictures and started to head back.
Even though the day had been warming up slightly, there was still a lot of snow on the trail where we were at. And there were a number of people who fell on the way down (including me)!
The hike down was much easier (of course) until we hit the last hike up to the trailhead. That was tough. But after a short break, I made it up! The guys who got there before me didn't really have much of an advantage, because they had given me the keys earlier in the hike just in case I had decided to turn back earlier. So they had no choice but to wait for me!
After that we headed home. It was quite the tiring hike for all of us, and I remember one place on the way home both Bob and Doug were asleep in the back seat!
It was a challenging hike, and it is one that I will make it to the top someday, but this time, it was a "thirteener".
