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Peak(s):  Mt. Bierstadt  -  14,066 feet
Date Posted:  06/12/2007
Date Climbed:   06/10/2007
Author:  flatlandish
 Bierstadt from Guanella Pass   

This report will, hopefully, be helpful for the newbies out there looking to climb their first 14er. Me and my wife came out to Denver to visit family and take on a mountain (...something...anything!) We‘re intermediate hikers and avid runners from sea level and had our sight set on Bierstadt but were a little worried that it was too muddy or that we hadn‘t spent enough time at the right altitude. We got some great advice from the REI folks the previous day which helped us make up our mind to go. Plus, we were going with my brother-in-law, who lives in Denver. At the very least, we‘d have one person in our crew who could hold up to any altitude weirdness.

We headed up Guanella Pass road and reached the parking lot a little before 7am to see that a handful of people had already started or were getting ready to head up. Temps in the mid 30s, light wind, no clouds.
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It was weird because we didn‘t really know what we were getting into but it was actually nice to have the visual of people ahead on the trail for reference. Starting out over Gomer Creek, it was a little muddy but for the most part, it was frozen over, or at least cold enough that our boots didn‘t sink into anything too far.
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No one had their poles out yet, but that changed as soon as I almost twisted my knee on some rocks.

Starting to head upwards, the summit above looked daunting, but manageable with all of the switchbacks and well marked trails.
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We were all having a great time. This was the time to take a bunch of photos before hitting any patches of snow/ice. It was about this time that we were being passed by dogs and other hikers. (14er dogs are hard core!) It was good to have some company on the trail and we were in no hurry anyway. I don‘t think we went 50 feet without stopping to turn around and look at the scenery.
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The fun started when we started climbing over that snow/ice mix that was covering more and more ground. It was hard to know what was slushy snow that you could break with your boots or some awful sheet of ice that could send you tumbling back to where you just came from. I figured it was best to poke around with a pole before stepping down. Seems to work pretty good.
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Soon, we weren‘t stopping to look at the scenery, it was to actually rest and figure out which way we were going. The hikers ahead were sort of scattering about, taking different paths to the summit, so we figured it was time to set a route of our own, mainly jumping from rock to rock, avoiding ice if possible.
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The altitude was getting to me as I was feeling a little lightheaded with a headache. Nothing too bad, but I knew I had to take it easy. A fellow hiker said I should just eat something. He was right, I downed some granola bars and felt better. Not great, just better. At this point, it was getting pretty high up. Higher than we had been before so it was, well, really cool. The sky was so blue. I was having fun and vertigo all at the same time!
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We reached the flat area just below the summit where we could finally look over the side and see the frozen lake below. That steep face was amazing. So far down and with a view to the south. We stopped to take a bunch of photos here before pushing on to the summit. It was windy here.
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Having done away with any sort of trail markings a while back, everyone was heading towards the top on their own improvised trails, mostly scrambling over rocks. Making it up as they went along. That was cool. We reached the summit in about 3 hours, just about what we thought it would be. At the top, it was good vibes all around. People taking photos and pointing out far-off peaks on this incredibly clear day. We all knew that we got lucky with some great weather. And yes, there were dogs at the top too.
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I figured we would all rest and eat lunch at the summit, but it was just too windy to have any sort of relaxing, zen-like, victory feast up there. It was best to head down and find a sheltered spot for that. Initially, the descent was tough. There was no obvious route to get down through the rocks.
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We all scattered to go the way we thought was best...I don‘t think any of us were right. Anyways, we all reached the same snow field below the summit and saw that there was a group glissading down a wide open field of snow. Who knew the best part of going up a mountain was going down? We all followed suit, dropped down on our butts and slid down. Awesome. I got a good sized hole in my pants but it well worth it.
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From there, it was just a nice descent to the trailhead, with a little stop for lunch about halfway down. The frozen mud that we easily walked over on the way up turned into -not- frozen mud on the way back. This was impressive stuff. The kind of mud that makes that sucking sound and tries to take your boots right off.
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Other than that, it was a breeze to head across the creek and back to the parking lot, which was now packed. No spots anywhere. Glad we got there early.
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So my advice from one beginner to another: start early, bring plenty of food and water, bring a bunch of layers (the temperature changes constantly), take breaks but keep a consistent pace, put on sunscreen, and have fun!



Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
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Comments or Questions
krz2fer
User
Congrats
6/13/2007 4:08am
Nice report, good photos of the conditions, and glad you enjoyed!


mrkite1977
User
Fun Day
6/13/2007 9:14pm
That looks a fun-filled day. Nice pics...



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