Mount Bierstadt

   Last Thursday, I climbed Mount Bierstadt (14,060ft). It was my second peak above 12,000ft for the year. I was accompanied by two new hiking buddies, Rob and Jody, who I met on MyFitnessPal. Rob and I met Jody in Georgetown early in the morning and then drove up to the top of Guanella Pass. I was relieved to find the winds had calmed down quite a bit from when I was up there on Memorial Day. It was still a little windy but much more tolerably so. The temperature was a bit cool, but it felt very nice once I started to heat-up from hiking up the steep mountainside.
   Mount Bierstadt is one of the easier 14ers in Colorado. Mind you, easy is a relative term here, as it is 3.5 miles one-way and about 2850ft gain. There were a few patches of snow closer to the top, but they were fairly easy to traverse. We made it to the summit in about 2 hours and 40 minutes. We relaxed for a bit at the top to take in the beautiful scenery, and we signed the registry. It took us about 2 hours to get back down, and the weather cooperated fully. It was just another day I feel truly blessed to live in such a beautiful place.
   On our way back, we stopped in Genessee for a couple of slices of NY Style Pizza, a beer, and some chit chat. Rob and Jody were great hiking buddies. They offered interesting conversation, fun company, and most importantly had positive attitudes. We all agreed to make our Thursday 14er climbs a ritual.
  On a personal level, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself feeling a lot better than I felt on the two 14ers I climbed last summer. I did not feel any altitude sickness at all. My legs were definitely burning during the hike, and I had some cramping later that night. However, I had no soreness whatsoever the day after, and I even went for a short run.
   I'm anxiously looking forward to my next adventure above 14,000ft.

Mt Evans, the Sawtooth, Mt Bierstadt

Guanella Pass

Sawatch and Tenmile Ranges

Mt Evans

Rob, Jody, and I at the summit

The Sawtooth - daring people traverse this ridge to Mt Evans

Mt Evans and Abyss Lake

Frozen Lake and South Park

The summit and with a view of Grays and Torreys Peaks

The Sawtooth

Square Top Mountain

Abyss Lake Trail

     On Memorial Day, Nick, our friend Chuck, and I set out early up Guanella Pass. Our goal was to climb Square Top Mountain. However, upon our arrival at the trailhead, we encountered extremely gusty and chilly winds. It was so windy, in fact, that we could barely shut the car doors. It took us all of thirty seconds to decide we did not want to hike above treeline all day in those conditions. So, we headed about ten miles down the road towards Grant to our old favorite Abyss Lake Trail. We have been there twice before, once with Chuck, and both times during Fall. This is one of my favorites because of it's gradual nature and because of the breathtaking vistas of Mt Bierstadt, the Sawtooth, and Mt Evans. We were very relieved to find the trees protected us quite a bit from the wind once we reached the trailhead. We made it about four miles up the trail to where the trees start to thin out and the trail opens up a bit. The unwelcomed cold wind returned, and we found ourselves surrounded by tons of freshly fallen trees. The further we climbed up the trail, the more frequent and more difficult the fallen tree crossings became. Happy with our trek so far, the three of us ate lunch on a rock, and then, returned to the trailhead. After we got back to Denver, we ate lunch at Park Burger, where I enjoyed a milkshake, a jalapeno cheeseburger, and some sweet potato fries. Overall, despite the insane gusts, it was another gorgeous day.