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My son Milo turned seven in March, and we've been talking about his first 14er. His brother Connor climbed Bierstadt when he was six, which has become one of my favorite memories. When Connor was in 2nd grade, his teacher told me she was worried about his penchant for telling tall tales. "He claims to have climbed a 14er," she explained. "That can't be true, can it?" I explained that, by then, he had climbed seven 14ers. She was stunned, and I was so proud.
Milo had done a fair amount of hiking, and I thought he was ready, so we took off on a Tuesday night, grabbed a pizza at Dino's in Lakewood, and drove up Guenella Pass through a misty rain. We arrived, checked out the misty peak, ate, drank hydrated (I thought), and read some "Runaway Ralph" before going to sleep in the back of my CRV.
night before
Up at about 515, we got ready and were on the trail by 545. Milo showed great energy, and we plowed through the willows over the very high river, and were making the first grassy shoulder before we took our first real break. One thing I've learned about kids and hiking is that if you get them taking about something else, they go right up. If they're free to focus on their feet and boredom, you're in trouble. Milo talked constantly about the upcoming Star Wars movie, and his vast and deep predictions for what might happen. This totally carried him up to the shoulder. I was amazed how he just kept going- few rests, no complaints- just constant progress and more thoughts about the Sand Creatures and Wookies. Grays and Torres across the way
When we got to the final summit scramble, the terrain changed, and there was also a sudden fog bank that rolled in from across the valley. Until now, it had been completely bluebird. Milo was suddenly spooked and told me he didn't think he wanted to go any further. I don't want to push him too much, and I don't want to be the demanding father who takes the fun out of everything, but I also don't like the idea of quitting at the first sign of fear. This seems to be a theme this summer- swimming lessons, riding a bike- always coming back to being afraid, and overcoming that fear. I told Milo he was not allowed to turn around this close to the top. I took his hand, and we helped each other over the last few hundred feet to the summit. Unfortunately, the fog engulfed the summit from about the time we arrived to the time we left. Look how blue the day looks in all the pictures except the summit shots. We celebrated, at pizza, but got cold pretty quickly and started down. Abyss Lake in the fog Sawtooth in the fog Pizza > Powerbars Mighty Mighty Milo! I climbed that!
The walk down was slower- Milo was losing steam quickly. Eventually we made it to the car, only for me to realize why his energy was dropping so quickly. I had been preaching hydration for a couple days, and had him drinking water the night before. On the climb, he had a camelback so he could keep drinking. I also had Gatorade for him on the top and the way down. When we got back to the car, I found that the camelback was still full. I checked the water bottle from the night before and the Gatorade bottle- all full. He said he was drinking, he appeared to be drinking, but he wasn't drinking. No wonder he was so tired! It's a pretty frightening thought really- a seven year old doing his first 14er with virtually no hydration. In the future, I am going to bring a Nalgene bottle for him so I can monitor his intake and be sure he's not getting dehydrated. climbing a 14er is hard!
We sat in the parking lot for a while, replenishing, and gawking at the mountain. Bierstadt sometimes gets a bad name- it's too easy, it's too busy, it's so cliche. Bierstadt gave Milo and I a wonderful day, with the exception of the fog. We did see dozens of people, but everyone is so nice above treeline, and Milo got tons of high fives from strangers. It's was also so green with lots of flowers. I do love that mountain, and I'm grateful to have spent the day with Milo on it!
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Congrats to you and Milo and thank you for sharing! I’m planning a hike up mt Bierstadt with my 5 yr old tis week and it’s so helpful to read your trip report with a kid focus.
We are bringing our 7 year old son up to summit Bierstadt in a few weeks. It will be his first summit but we have both been on several peaks through the years. This brings me comfort in him achieving the summit as well. Thank you for your post and pictures!! Does anyone know where we can tent camp that is close to the trail head?
I have not used them, but there are numerous spots on the road between Georgetown and Guenella Pass. If it’s a weekend, I’m sure they fill up very quickly. A weekday might make it something you can count on. Good luck!
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