Mt. Bierstadt Trip Report 07/27/2012

Peak(s):	Mt. Bierstadt - 14,066 feet
Date Posted:	07/27/2012
Modified:	07/22/2017
Date Climbed:	06/30/2012
Author:	Rainbow-K

Bierstadt West Slope from Guanella Pass
I climbed my second 14er at the end of June. Wow, Bierstadt was a beautiful ascent with a great group of hikers from Northern Colorado Adventurers. We started hiking at 6:43 am and I reset a step counter, just for kicks. Mt. Spalding, (Mt. Evans not visible), The Sawtooth, Mt. Bierstadt Moose There were a mother and baby moose sighted at the parking lot (which I missed) and then five more shortly after we got going. Boardwalk through the "willows" I've seen "the willows" referred to in many route descriptions, but isn't it manzanita? (Go ahead and set me straight in the comments.) Moose at Lake 11510 Topo maps label this pretty pool merely "11510." I shall henceforth call it Moose Lake. Can you see all five moose in the photo? Still far away View across the willows Final pitch to the summit I reached the summit in 2 hours and 21 minutes, the last 20 of which were spent climbing the final pitch above. I made it! Bierstadt summit with Mt. Evans behind View from Mt. Bierstadt summit View from Mt. Bierstadt summit Not too cloudy but very crowdy on top This time I remembered to sign the summit register. However, I couldn't locate the geo marker despite being told I had stepped right over it. Mt. Evans & Abyss Lake from Bierstadt Another flattering Bierstadt summit shot Dave, who hiked with me most of the way In our group of eight attempting Bierstadt, Dave & I ended up pacing ahead of the rest on the way up. We were on the summit nearly half an hour and ready to start down when the rest of the group arrived (minus one who had turned back early). Northern Colorado Adventurers on Mt. Bierstadt So our summit stay clocked in at 37 minutes. I felt great and didn't want to leave. I checked my step counter before heading down at 9:41 and it said 12,025 steps. Sawtooth between Bierstadt & Evans Six more Northern Colorado Adventurers had hit the trail earlier than we to climb Bierstadt, cross the Sawtooth, and claim Evans as well. View toward Guanella Pass & parking area Headed down I'll be honest, my knees weren't happy by this point. Thank God for trekking poles and ibuprofen, but still. I'm a very slow descender. If this tested Dave's patience, he was extremely good natured about it. Several from the later summit group passed us on the way down, and somewhere I traded hiking partners. Looking back at the Sawtooth as clouds gathered Dog crossing Scott Gomer Creek Scott Gomer Creek was easy to cross on stepping stones. This dog was happy to frolic a little in the cool water. Final view of Mt. Spalding, the Sawtooth, Mt. Bierstadt, and "Moose Lake" I returned at 12:17 for a total time of 5 hours, 34 minutes, step counter boasting a whopping 23,498 clicks. The round trip was 7 miles on trail plus summit exploration. Math trivia: coming down took me 15 minutes longer than going up, courtesy of creaky knees. I appreciated the gentle uphill grade concluding the hike as it gave my knees some relief. The flashing lights of two emergency vehicles greeted us and we guessed that a search had been initiated. It began to sprinkle as we all waited in line at the outhouse, and just as we were leaving the parking lot, a brief hailstorm ensued. Winding down Guanella Pass, we passed two more emergency vehicles going up with sirens howling, and then an Alpine Rescue van. From a news release and the Alpine Rescue web site I later pieced together the story that a teenage boy had taken a fall from the Sawtooth but was not found. Rescue teams believed he was able to hike out by himself. Kristina Lim (Rainbow-K) Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Bierstadt West Slope from Guanella Pass

I climbed my second 14er at the end of June. Wow, Bierstadt was a beautiful ascent with a great group of hikers from Northern Colorado Adventurers. We started hiking at 6:43 am and I reset a step counter, just for kicks.

Mt. Spalding, (Mt. Evans not visible), The Sawtooth, Mt. Bierstadt

There were a mother and baby moose sighted at the parking lot (which I missed) and then five more shortly after we got going.

I've seen "the willows" referred to in many route descriptions, but isn't it manzanita? (Go ahead and set me straight in the comments.)

Topo maps label this pretty pool merely "11510." I shall henceforth call it Moose Lake. Can you see all five moose in the photo?

I reached the summit in 2 hours and 21 minutes, the last 20 of which were spent climbing the final pitch above.

I made it! Bierstadt summit with Mt. Evans behind

This time I remembered to sign the summit register. However, I couldn't locate the geo marker despite being told I had stepped right over it.

Another flattering Bierstadt summit shot

In our group of eight attempting Bierstadt, Dave & I ended up pacing ahead of the rest on the way up. We were on the summit nearly half an hour and ready to start down when the rest of the group arrived (minus one who had turned back early).

Northern Colorado Adventurers on Mt. Bierstadt

So our summit stay clocked in at 37 minutes. I felt great and didn't want to leave. I checked my step counter before heading down at 9:41 and it said 12,025 steps.

Six more Northern Colorado Adventurers had hit the trail earlier than we to climb Bierstadt, cross the Sawtooth, and claim Evans as well.

View toward Guanella Pass & parking area

I'll be honest, my knees weren't happy by this point. Thank God for trekking poles and ibuprofen, but still. I'm a very slow descender. If this tested Dave's patience, he was extremely good natured about it. Several from the later summit group passed us on the way down, and somewhere I traded hiking partners.

Looking back at the Sawtooth as clouds gathered

Scott Gomer Creek was easy to cross on stepping stones. This dog was happy to frolic a little in the cool water.

Final view of Mt. Spalding, the Sawtooth, Mt. Bierstadt, and "Moose Lake"

I returned at 12:17 for a total time of 5 hours, 34 minutes, step counter boasting a whopping 23,498 clicks. The round trip was 7 miles on trail plus summit exploration. Math trivia: coming down took me 15 minutes longer than going up, courtesy of creaky knees. I appreciated the gentle uphill grade concluding the hike as it gave my knees some relief.

The flashing lights of two emergency vehicles greeted us and we guessed that a search had been initiated. It began to sprinkle as we all waited in line at the outhouse, and just as we were leaving the parking lot, a brief hailstorm ensued. Winding down Guanella Pass, we passed two more emergency vehicles going up with sirens howling, and then an Alpine Rescue van.

From a news release and the Alpine Rescue web site I later pieced together the story that a teenage boy had taken a fall from the Sawtooth but was not found. Rescue teams believed he was able to hike out by himself.

Kristina Lim (Rainbow-K)

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

dillonsarnelli	Congrats on your 2nd 14er 7/27/2012 7:23pm I'd like to see a moose out there someday! - (from afar...)
Hillhog	Nice Moose 7/28/2012 12:27pm Nice shot, from a safe position ! That's what you miss hiking in the night.

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