Mt. Bierstadt Trip Report 08/04/2008

Peak(s):	Mt. Bierstadt - 14,066 feet Mt. Blue Sky - 14,268 feet
Date Posted:	08/04/2008
Date Climbed:	07/29/2008
Author:	fraidoheights

Bierstdt and Evans - via the Sawtooth
We started on the trail at 6:15am. The hike up Bierstadt was pretty uneventful and easy. The last scramble up to the summit was fun. We met a guy from Germany at the top. He was vacationing in Colorado specifically to hike and was summiting his 8th and 9th peaks in about 7 days!!! He was cool and he tagged along with us for the rest of the hike. We made it to the top of Bierstadt around 8:30am and hung out up there for about 15-20 mins. We took off down the backside of Bierstadt at about 8:50am. This was not as bad as the photos make it look. You just need to go slow and stop periodically to plan your route. The trip reports refer to a distinctive rock formation just past the lowest point of the Sawtooth. This is where you‘re heading. We found that descending toward the lake, then cutting over down low was easier than cutting to the left early in the descent. Once you‘ve reached the distinctive rock formation, you‘ll climb over it to the left. This first rock formation is pretty easy to get around and is not very technical. It took us about 90 minutes from the top of Bierstadt to get here. As stated in the trip reports, the crux of the climb is right after that formation. This is decision time. You can either climb up the rocks to the left and stay high following the cairnes or you can descend a couple hundred feet and go below the rock formation and back up. We felt that going around didn‘t present a significantly easier climbnd wasn‘t worth it. The climb up the rocks presented some class 3 terrain, but it wasn‘t bad. After ascending the rocks, you‘ll go left through to the "front" side of the sawtooth. This was worse for me. The actual climbing/scrambling is much less technical than the section we‘d just completed, but considering it was next to a 300-400 foot drop (estimation), it was pretty scary for me. Nonetheless, I went slow and focused on each step ahead and made sure I didn‘t look to my left, and I was fine. It was really pretty easy. We made it to the top of the sawtooth around 11:10am. From the top of the sawtooth, you head to the right and through a boulder field to the last ridge before the top of Evans. My estimate is that you‘re around 1.5 miles from the summit of Evans from here. This is a fun restful section. Once upon the ridge, stay on the trail which goes down a little to the right at first, then heads pretty straight across the ridge. You‘ll then head up to the left to make the final ascent to Evans. Athis point, you‘ll see the parking lot up there for those who chose to drive up it. This is a little disheartening and you‘ll think about hitching a ride back down. We made it to the summit of Evans around 12:15pm. We hung out up there, ate lunch, took some pictures and talked to some of the other visitors. We startedour descent around 1:00pm. You just go back the way you came across the ridge, then through the boulder field. Instead of going back to the sawtooth, we went down to the right to a gully that descended into the valley. From the top of that gully--according to the German guy who had a GPS--we were still 4 miles from the parking lot at Guanella Pass. The hike down the gully flat out sucked. So here‘s my recommendation for this hike...take and extra pair of socks and change them at the top of Evans. My feet were in no way raw, but I did have a couple "uncomfortable" areas made worse by this gully descent. It‘s just a bunch of loose gravel and rock and kind of like doing hundreds of one-legged squats in a row. Once you get to the bottom into the valley, there is a small trail, which winds through the marshes and the scrub oak. You‘ll lose this trail from time to time. Just stay to the left of the water masses and try to stay high to avoind the sloppiness. The idea is that your going to slog your way through this to get back to the original trail you started on many hours before. We eventually found the trail without much trouble at all and headed back to the parking lot. We made it back to the truck around 3:15pm. This is my second recommendation...have a cooler with some ice-cold beers ready. We did and it made my day!!! Also, have a comfortable pair of shoes ready--I highly recommend Crocs. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Bierstdt and Evans - via the Sawtooth

We started on the trail at 6:15am. The hike up Bierstadt was pretty uneventful and easy. The last scramble up to the summit was fun. We met a guy from Germany at the top. He was vacationing in Colorado specifically to hike and was summiting his 8th and 9th peaks in about 7 days!!! He was cool and he tagged along with us for the rest of the hike. We made it to the top of Bierstadt around 8:30am and hung out up there for about 15-20 mins.

We took off down the backside of Bierstadt at about 8:50am. This was not as bad as the photos make it look. You just need to go slow and stop periodically to plan your route. The trip reports refer to a distinctive rock formation just past the lowest point of the Sawtooth. This is where you‘re heading. We found that descending toward the lake, then cutting over down low was easier than cutting to the left early in the descent.

Once you‘ve reached the distinctive rock formation, you‘ll climb over it to the left. This first rock formation is pretty easy to get around and is not very technical. It took us about 90 minutes from the top of Bierstadt to get here. As stated in the trip reports, the crux of the climb is right after that formation. This is decision time. You can either climb up the rocks to the left and stay high following the cairnes or you can descend a couple hundred feet and go below the rock formation and back up. We felt that going around didn‘t present a significantly easier climbnd wasn‘t worth it. The climb up the rocks presented some class 3 terrain, but it wasn‘t bad.

After ascending the rocks, you‘ll go left through to the "front" side of the sawtooth. This was worse for me. The actual climbing/scrambling is much less technical than the section we‘d just completed, but considering it was next to a 300-400 foot drop (estimation), it was pretty scary for me. Nonetheless, I went slow and focused on each step ahead and made sure I didn‘t look to my left, and I was fine. It was really pretty easy. We made it to the top of the sawtooth around 11:10am.

From the top of the sawtooth, you head to the right and through a boulder field to the last ridge before the top of Evans. My estimate is that you‘re around 1.5 miles from the summit of Evans from here. This is a fun restful section. Once upon the ridge, stay on the trail which goes down a little to the right at first, then heads pretty straight across the ridge. You‘ll then head up to the left to make the final ascent to Evans. Athis point, you‘ll see the parking lot up there for those who chose to drive up it. This is a little disheartening and you‘ll think about hitching a ride back down.

We made it to the summit of Evans around 12:15pm. We hung out up there, ate lunch, took some pictures and talked to some of the other visitors. We startedour descent around 1:00pm.

You just go back the way you came across the ridge, then through the boulder field. Instead of going back to the sawtooth, we went down to the right to a gully that descended into the valley. From the top of that gully--according to the German guy who had a GPS--we were still 4 miles from the parking lot at Guanella Pass. The hike down the gully flat out sucked. So here‘s my recommendation for this hike...take and extra pair of socks and change them at the top of Evans. My feet were in no way raw, but I did have a couple "uncomfortable" areas made worse by this gully descent. It‘s just a bunch of loose gravel and rock and kind of like doing hundreds of one-legged squats in a row.

Once you get to the bottom into the valley, there is a small trail, which winds through the marshes and the scrub oak. You‘ll lose this trail from time to time. Just stay to the left of the water masses and try to stay high to avoind the sloppiness. The idea is that your going to slog your way through this to get back to the original trail you started on many hours before. We eventually found the trail without much trouble at all and headed back to the parking lot. We made it back to the truck around 3:15pm. This is my second recommendation...have a cooler with some ice-cold beers ready. We did and it made my day!!! Also, have a comfortable pair of shoes ready--I highly recommend Crocs.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

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