Mt. Bierstadt - 14,060 ft

Date: 11-25-04

Climbers: George Barnes and Doug Shaw

Route:  West Slopes I, Class 2

RT distance:  6.0 miles

RT time:  6 hours 45 minutes

Time to summit:  4 hours

Time on summit:  15 minutes

Time to trailhead:  2 hours 30 minutes

Elevation gain:  2,770 feet

Coordinates of TH:  39° 35.70'N, 105° 42.67'W

Coordinates of summit:  39° 34.97'N, 105° 40.12'W

USGS Quadrangles: Mount Evans

Trip Report:

Doug and I touched base Wednesday night and decided to get out and climb something on Thanksgiving Day.

I checked the NWS point forecast for Bierstadt before heading out Thursday morning.  They were calling for sustained winds of 20-40 MPH with gusts to 70, giving wind chills around zero - perfect climbing weather!

The trip up and down was pretty uneventful.  Neither Doug nor I had been at altitude recently, so we took it pretty easy.  The uphill slog from the creek back to the trailhead was as arduous as ever, and Doug and I were both glad to reach his truck.  Not surprisingly the crux of the climb was probably the drive back down Guanella Pass road.

We didn't wear snowshoes, and for the most part this worked out.  On several occasions they would have been nice, but they also would have been unnecessary for much of the hike.  Bottom line: I didn't regret not having them and would not wear them if I were to repeat the climb.

Here are a few pictures from the day: