Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: 6/21/2003
Great trip. Wanted to do the Sawtooth to Evans but my 11 year old daughter got altitude sickness. She made it to 13,500. I was very proud of her for her determination (this was her 1st attempt at a 14er). I waited at camp until my nephew returned, I then made a solo late afternoon climb (thanks Rick). We probably would not have attempted the Sawtooth anyway because there was a little too much snow.
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: June 12, 2003
Had a great day going to the top. Not very difficult, but it was a challenge sticking to the trail due to the many snow fields I had to cross. I made the mistake of following two climbers ahead of me who went strait for the summit rather than angling towards the south ridge and following it to the summit. This just caused me to have to do more boulder scrambling. I spent an hour on the summit with great views of Longs, Grays, Torreys, Pikes and Mount of the Holy Cross.
Route Climbed: West Slope(Guanella Pass) Date Climbed: Jun 03, 03
Climbed with Jennifer. Late start at 9:15 am, but the weather cooperated until we were back at the jeep. Very easy hike. The willows were quite muddy and the creek was pretty high. There was a very small log to cross the creek which we decided not to use, we went a little north and crossed on a nice dam, small island, and rock. A few snowfields to cross, but snowshoes were not necessary. Highly recommended for a first 14'er or a lowlander.
Diggler - Mar 24, 2003 5:57 pm Date Climbed: Mar 24, 2012
Route Climbed: W Flank from Guanella Pass Date Climbed: summer, 1993 (?)
Guessing the time and route taken (I remember we didn't do Evans that trip, and the other options seem way too long). Another 14er I did with my Dad. I remember there was good weather.
3.24.'12: w/ Faith- W slopes, from Guanella Pass. Road plowed as far as (?) Lake (@ 10,850', ~1.5 mi. or so from the actual pass). Nice break after resort skiing for 6 days straight. Extra 3 or so miles, plus some great, repeated, postholing, made for a full day. Left parking lot 10.06, summited @ 14.39, hung out @ summit (great to be in the Colorado high Rockies again!), left summit @ 15.22, back @ parking lot @ 18.44. Great day!
Route Climbed: West Slope Date Climbed: October 13, 2002
Flew out to Colorado for the weekend of my 22nd birthday. I attempted Castle and Holy Cross the 2 days before, however, 750 ft to 14,000+ ft is quite a shock to the system in the span of 1 day. ;-) On the last day of my trip (Sunday) I simply continued slogging despite the obviously thin air (for a flatlander anyway) and made the summit! Great views and a wonderful snow climb.
big_g - Mar 3, 2003 3:49 pm Date Climbed: Sep 15, 2001
Route Climbed: West Slopes
My 1st CO 14er. Seems like so long ago. The date should be accurate to within a week or so.
Route Climbed: West Slopes Date Climbed: Jan 27, 2003
My second winter climb of this one and my fourth overall. I was quite happy to find that the new trail and catwalks make postholing across the willows a thing of the past.
Route Climbed: Guenalla Pass Date Climbed: Febuary 2 2003, Feb 212004
It started as a nice day but the weater turned bad when I reached the summit. I managed to get down alright but the trip home back to denver took three hours! The hike up the mountain was breath taking and I finaly got to sign a summit log.
This was my 2nd time going up Bierstadt, the weather was a lot nicer than last time so I got a lot of good pictures. I hiked with Bill and my girlfriend so the pace was more relaxed than last time. I think my girl friend was starting to get altitude sickness at around 13800 so I walked her down while Bill did the summit. Other than that it was a really nice day.
Route Climbed: Guenalla Pass Date Climbed: June 6, 2001
The start of the hike goes downhill and crosses numerous marshy areas. The trail was maintained very well with numerous wood bridges over the wetlands. After about a mile the trail starts its climb. It was a steady slope all the way to the top with boulders at the last 200 vertical feet or so. At the summit it was somewhat windy and was also quite cold. After about 15 minutes on the summit I was on my way back down. It started to get hot lower down on the trail and the clouds were starting to look pretty threatening by the time I got back to the car.
Well I did it. Not really fast or efficient but that was ok. The views from the top of Bierstadt were well worth the hike. I would recommend this hike for anyone who wants to do a fourteener for the first time. Its short and the vertical wasn’t that drastic.
This was my second ascent of Bierstadt. It was my second 14er many years ago. This second trip my ultimate destination was actually Evans over the Sawtooth ridge. I summitted Bierstadt around 11 am after getting a late start from the Guanella Pass trailhead. I knew I was cutting time very close if I was to make it across the ridge and up Evans. The ridge was a lot of fun - class 3 scrambling and climbing. A few sections might even be considered class 4. I nearly reached the summit of Evans but was forced to turn back due to weather. The return trip was a nightmare due to confronation with the willows. Some poor family from Minnesota was following me and we all got up to our mid-thighs in mud. I was just happy to have worn my pants that zip off into shorts so when I finally returned to the car, I could get rid of the mud!
On my first trip up Bierstadt back in early 1990s, it was before the walkways were built. My friends dog got stuck in the mud and we had quite a time getting her out (she had short legs).! Quite funny to watch 3 people trying to extricate this poor little dog who didn't know what had happened except her legs wouldn't move anymore!
Route Climbed: West Slopes (standard route) Date Climbed: December 14, 2002
A beautiful day for this nice, short climb. Trail was well worn so I didn't need my snowshoes. Great views of Evans, Grays, Torreys, and even Longs and Pikes from the top. Spent about an hour at the summit, and since I had extra time I walked along the south ridge to see what I could see.
The most painful part of the trip was the traffic on I-70... ;-)
Route Climbed: Guanella pass Date Climbed: June 6, 2002
My first Fourteener. We shared the summit with one other person. The first time I did this it took me almost five hours. Two and a half months later, plus two other fourteeners, it took me two and a half hours. A nice hike.
Route Climbed: Guanella PAss Date Climbed: July 2002
First 14er.
Generally a good day with no weather, hot, and not overly crowded. I climbed with my dad (60) and my son (10). We had little time to acclimatize and did 2 day hikes out of Loveland Pass to adjust. We left the trailhead at 0730 and summitted around 1130. My son decided he couldn't carry his pack up the last pitch to the ridgeline so I clipped his pack to mine. By the time we reached the summit I was blasted and was sick from the altitude: headache, nausea, and couldn't eat at all. It was very warm on the summit so we took some pictures and headed down. The descent was pleasant until we reached the willows and I ran out of water (from being a fish on the way up carrying 2 packs). Luckily my dad and son had water to share. We reached the car around 1330 and headed out for a well deserved rest.
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass/West Slope Date Climbed: January 29, 2000
It is a very different climb in the winter - the willows don't come into effect. Basically just a long snowshoe to the top. Can't beat the solitude, though!
scvanm - Jul 5, 2003 8:41 pm
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: 6/21/2003Great trip. Wanted to do the Sawtooth to Evans but my 11 year old daughter got altitude sickness. She made it to 13,500. I was very proud of her for her determination (this was her 1st attempt at a 14er). I waited at camp until my nephew returned, I then made a solo late afternoon climb (thanks Rick). We probably would not have attempted the Sawtooth anyway because there was a little too much snow.
shanrickv - Jun 22, 2003 7:18 am
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: June 12, 2003Had a great day going to the top. Not very difficult, but it was a challenge sticking to the trail due to the many snow fields I had to cross. I made the mistake of following two climbers ahead of me who went strait for the summit rather than angling towards the south ridge and following it to the summit. This just caused me to have to do more boulder scrambling. I spent an hour on the summit with great views of Longs, Grays, Torreys, Pikes and Mount of the Holy Cross.
skibum7732 - Jun 7, 2003 3:51 pm
Route Climbed: West Slope(Guanella Pass) Date Climbed: Jun 03, 03Climbed with Jennifer. Late start at 9:15 am, but the weather cooperated until we were back at the jeep. Very easy hike. The willows were quite muddy and the creek was pretty high. There was a very small log to cross the creek which we decided not to use, we went a little north and crossed on a nice dam, small island, and rock. A few snowfields to cross, but snowshoes were not necessary. Highly recommended for a first 14'er or a lowlander.
Diggler - Mar 24, 2003 5:57 pm Date Climbed: Mar 24, 2012
Route Climbed: W Flank from Guanella Pass Date Climbed: summer, 1993 (?)Guessing the time and route taken (I remember we didn't do Evans that trip, and the other options seem way too long). Another 14er I did with my Dad. I remember there was good weather.
3.24.'12: w/ Faith- W slopes, from Guanella Pass. Road plowed as far as (?) Lake (@ 10,850', ~1.5 mi. or so from the actual pass). Nice break after resort skiing for 6 days straight. Extra 3 or so miles, plus some great, repeated, postholing, made for a full day. Left parking lot 10.06, summited @ 14.39, hung out @ summit (great to be in the Colorado high Rockies again!), left summit @ 15.22, back @ parking lot @ 18.44. Great day!
marcminish - Mar 18, 2003 4:43 pm
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: March 14, 2003A basic slog. This was only my 2nd 14er, but a nice way to spend a day on an easy alpine trek. Summitted with my buddy Paul Ivaska.
txmountaineer - Mar 10, 2003 12:32 pm
Route Climbed: West Slope Date Climbed: October 13, 2002Flew out to Colorado for the weekend of my 22nd birthday. I attempted Castle and Holy Cross the 2 days before, however, 750 ft to 14,000+ ft is quite a shock to the system in the span of 1 day. ;-) On the last day of my trip (Sunday) I simply continued slogging despite the obviously thin air (for a flatlander anyway) and made the summit! Great views and a wonderful snow climb.
big_g - Mar 3, 2003 3:49 pm Date Climbed: Sep 15, 2001
Route Climbed: West SlopesMy 1st CO 14er. Seems like so long ago. The date should be accurate to within a week or so.
Colonelpyat - Feb 28, 2003 2:41 am
Route Climbed: West Slopes Date Climbed: Jan 27, 2003My second winter climb of this one and my fourth overall. I was quite happy to find that the new trail and catwalks make postholing across the willows a thing of the past.
mmoerk - Feb 19, 2003 6:27 pm
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: Feb 15, 2003Climbed Bierstadt for the 2nd time this winter. Next I hope to do Quandry or Evans (from Guanella Pass, before the tourists come back :-).
chef007 - Feb 3, 2003 1:14 pm
Route Climbed: Guenalla Pass Date Climbed: Febuary 2 2003, Feb 212004It started as a nice day but the weater turned bad when I reached the summit. I managed to get down alright but the trip home back to denver took three hours! The hike up the mountain was breath taking and I finaly got to sign a summit log.
This was my 2nd time going up Bierstadt, the weather was a lot nicer than last time so I got a lot of good pictures. I hiked with Bill and my girlfriend so the pace was more relaxed than last time. I think my girl friend was starting to get altitude sickness at around 13800 so I walked her down while Bill did the summit. Other than that it was a really nice day.
Grant - Jan 16, 2003 11:14 am
Route Climbed: Guenalla Pass Date Climbed: June 6, 2001The start of the hike goes downhill and crosses numerous marshy areas. The trail was maintained very well with numerous wood bridges over the wetlands. After about a mile the trail starts its climb. It was a steady slope all the way to the top with boulders at the last 200 vertical feet or so. At the summit it was somewhat windy and was also quite cold. After about 15 minutes on the summit I was on my way back down. It started to get hot lower down on the trail and the clouds were starting to look pretty threatening by the time I got back to the car.
Well I did it. Not really fast or efficient but that was ok. The views from the top of Bierstadt were well worth the hike. I would recommend this hike for anyone who wants to do a fourteener for the first time. Its short and the vertical wasn’t that drastic.
mtnhiker13 - Dec 27, 2002 8:14 am
Route Climbed: Standard Date Climbed: July 2001This was my second ascent of Bierstadt. It was my second 14er many years ago. This second trip my ultimate destination was actually Evans over the Sawtooth ridge. I summitted Bierstadt around 11 am after getting a late start from the Guanella Pass trailhead. I knew I was cutting time very close if I was to make it across the ridge and up Evans. The ridge was a lot of fun - class 3 scrambling and climbing. A few sections might even be considered class 4. I nearly reached the summit of Evans but was forced to turn back due to weather. The return trip was a nightmare due to confronation with the willows. Some poor family from Minnesota was following me and we all got up to our mid-thighs in mud. I was just happy to have worn my pants that zip off into shorts so when I finally returned to the car, I could get rid of the mud!
On my first trip up Bierstadt back in early 1990s, it was before the walkways were built. My friends dog got stuck in the mud and we had quite a time getting her out (she had short legs).! Quite funny to watch 3 people trying to extricate this poor little dog who didn't know what had happened except her legs wouldn't move anymore!
mmoerk - Dec 15, 2002 8:23 pm
Route Climbed: West Slopes (standard route) Date Climbed: December 14, 2002A beautiful day for this nice, short climb. Trail was well worn so I didn't need my snowshoes. Great views of Evans, Grays, Torreys, and even Longs and Pikes from the top. Spent about an hour at the summit, and since I had extra time I walked along the south ridge to see what I could see.
The most painful part of the trip was the traffic on I-70... ;-)
Ed F - Nov 30, 2002 7:56 am
Route Climbed: West Ridge from Guanella Pass Date Climbed: November 29, 2002Perfect Winter Day! The snow looked sparse, so I left my snowshoes in my car. I had to break a lot of trail, which left me pretty tired.
It was one of those perfect Colorado blue-sky days! Just a light breeze at the peak.
zzril - Nov 22, 2002 12:27 pm
Route Climbed: Sawtooth Ridge Date Climbed: July 1991Did Evans and LONG loop down into the valley and back up to Evans.
granddeity - Nov 2, 2002 10:52 pm
Route Climbed: Guanella pass Date Climbed: June 6, 2002My first Fourteener. We shared the summit with one other person. The first time I did this it took me almost five hours. Two and a half months later, plus two other fourteeners, it took me two and a half hours. A nice hike.
rob_runkle - Nov 2, 2002 8:25 am
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: August 15, 2002I loved this climb. Did Gray/Torreys in the AM, and hit this one in the PM. The trail is clearly upgraded and beautifully done.
DukeJH - Nov 1, 2002 11:25 am
Route Climbed: Guanella PAss Date Climbed: July 2002First 14er.
Generally a good day with no weather, hot, and not overly crowded. I climbed with my dad (60) and my son (10). We had little time to acclimatize and did 2 day hikes out of Loveland Pass to adjust. We left the trailhead at 0730 and summitted around 1130. My son decided he couldn't carry his pack up the last pitch to the ridgeline so I clipped his pack to mine. By the time we reached the summit I was blasted and was sick from the altitude: headache, nausea, and couldn't eat at all. It was very warm on the summit so we took some pictures and headed down. The descent was pleasant until we reached the willows and I ran out of water (from being a fish on the way up carrying 2 packs). Luckily my dad and son had water to share. We reached the car around 1330 and headed out for a well deserved rest.
Hayesred - Oct 30, 2002 12:52 pm
Route Climbed: West Slopes Date Climbed: Summer 1982This was my 1st 14er. An overnight boy scout trip when I was 12 years old. A passion ignited.
climberkjp - Oct 22, 2002 10:48 am
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass/West Slope Date Climbed: January 29, 2000It is a very different climb in the winter - the willows don't come into effect. Basically just a long snowshoe to the top. Can't beat the solitude, though!