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Peak(s):  Mt. Blue Sky  -  14,268 feet
Date Posted:  09/13/2015
Date Climbed:   09/06/2015
Author:  jmjr2k
 Labor Day Weekend On Mount Evans-West Ridge   

There is a saying that goes something like, "you can't get enough of a good thing" which describes this past summer's visit to the mountains of Colorado. The visit to Durango in early August along with the climb to Mt. Sneffels' summit gave me a great appreciation for the San Juan mountains after visiting the Front Range many times. So, after that great week in southwest Colorado, I knew we'd be back again soon.

Several weeks had passed since coming back to the low-lands of Missouri, and already I was thinking about the next 14'er to visit and check-off on the so-called "bucket list". With Labor Day approaching, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to see another summit. Considering that we really only had 4 days to play with (two days for driving, and two for hiking), Mt. Evans looked like the best mountain to visit for a weekend.

My big concern were the road conditions. I had eMailed CDoT to find out about Highway 5 since I had learned that it was opened later this year because of last winter's storms and damage it sustained. It was great to learn that the road crews had done a fine job of repairing the deteriorated sections, and the entire segment from Highway 103 at Echo Lake to the summit was a pretty smooth run.

Highway 5 to Summit Lake, and on up to Mt. Evans' summit parking lot, is part of the 28 mile scenic byway that begins at I70 from Idaho Springs. It's a beautiful stretch of road that takes you some 7000 feet up in elevation to the top. It's amazing how the road is constructed with such steep drop-offs with no guard rails. So, be careful as you ascend and descend, and pay attention especially with the gusty winds towards the summit. The Labor Day weekend brought quite a bit of traffic as you can imagine, and we found the last spot to park the car at 6:45 a.m. at Summit Lake.

I checked the weather forecast the day before, and saw where the temps were supposed to be in the low 40's early in the morning, and make it to the low 50's by mid-afternoon with no chance of storms. So, the day was right for hiking Mount Evans. When we got out of the car, the wind greeted us with a cold blast. Looking at the temperature gauge, it showed 38 degrees, and the wind had to be blowing at 25-30 mph! That combination of temperature and wind speed put our "feels like" temperature around 25 degrees! I have to say that we looked at each other trying to figure if we wanted to pursue going up this early, but we added a few more layers along with our thermal ear bands and hats and took off.

The ascent to Mt. Spalding in the summer is an easy Class 2 scramble to this 13'er summit. It's a beautiful hike with quite a few places to pause and take some pictures including Summit Lake. Once at the summit, you have a great view of the West Ridge and the summit of Mount Evans. Hiking along the ridge as described in the 14'er route guide for Mt. Evans West Ridge is the way to go. Also, the winds are not as gusty taking this route as well. There are a number of cairns that will lead you along the best route to the final switchbacks where you meet up with the tourists from the summit parking lot.

The summit of Mt. Evans is not real spacious, especially when the mountain is literally crawling with hundreds of Labor Day visitors looking for that last trip before the Byway closes for the winter. We took a few pictures at the top, had lunch, and decided that we would descend the slope on the east side of the mountain that takes you right back to the Summit Parking area via a short section of the road. Once at the parking area, we decided to summit again-this time in the car to take a few pictures at the top with some of Mt. Evans' history.

The summit route to Mt. Evans via Mt. Spalding around the West Ridge is really a panoramic hike that gives you a continuous view of the lakes and valley below while keeping the summit in view for you, and letting you see your accomplishment behind you. I would say that this is one of the perfect first 14'ers!

"Ever since a small boy, I have loved just to look at the mountains, to see them in different lights and from different angles, to feel their rough rock under my fingers and the breath of the winds against my feet... I am in love with the mountains." --Wilfrid Noyce.



Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
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Comments or Questions
Txhiker42
User
Nice TR
9/14/2015 10:56am
Thanks for the trip report–I enjoyed it. I’m a fellow flatlander thinking about doing this same route next week. How long did it take you? Was it easy to find the descent trail from the parking lot? And was the descent hard on the knees? Thank you!


jmjr2k
User
From One Low–Lander To Another
9/14/2015 2:22pm
Hi Txhiker42– Thanks for the positive comments on the TR! In my TR, you’ll see some embedded hyperlinks that should take you to a Peak Condition Update as well as a Trailhead Report that I filed separately from this Trip Report. They’re kinda hidden in this report in paragraphs 1, 3, and 5, but it gives you some additional info on the conditions and climb times. Regardless, we started out around 7 a.m. and summited around 10 a.m. We lingered up there about an hour and came back down that north and east side of the mountain to the road, and back to the parking lot a little before noon. When you’re on the summit, look at that slope back down from the tourist/visitor area, and you should see the trail heading back down. There are a number of switchbacks, but the trail down is not that bad, with just some loose gravel here and there. It’s starting to get cooler now, so bring layers, and check with CDoT to make sure Highway 5 is still open! They were going to keep it open until the first major snowfall. Good luck!


Txhiker42
User
Thanks!
9/15/2015 11:06am
Thanks for all the info, keeping my fingers crossed that the weather holds out through next week. We might be crazy but are thinking of trying this the day we fly in, as long as the forecast is clear all day.



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