My First 14er: Return to Mount Bierstadt

It's not that Amy and I are insanely obsessive people, but turning back from our objective is like an itch you just can't scratch. Back in September, driving snow and worsening visibility forced us back along with Nathan Smithat the 13,000' level on the slopes of Mt. Bierstadt. It was our first attempt at a 14er and it has been occupying our minds as unfinished business ever since. This time we were back and ready for action. We got a rather late start and drove up to the Guanella Pass trailhead under crystal clear skies at 9am. The surrounding mountains which were cloud-shrouded back in September were brilliant white with snow and high-altitude sunshine this time. I was concerned with avalanche danger on Bierstadt and spent a few minutes scoping out Square Top Mountain (13,794'), our backup objective to the west. However, the western slopes of Bierstadt looked largely bare, even the steep headwall. We set out with a spring in our snowshoes through the legendary Bierstadt willows. I had been unsure if snowshoes would even be neccessary, but it quickly turned out to be a good thing as we crunched through one 'spruce-trap' after another. Progress was slow, but we finally made it across the creek and up the other side of the valley to the base of the headwall where we met a fellow named Chris. Poor guy had forgotten his snowshoes and had spent at least an hour postholing through the willows and hating life. He asked how conditions were ahead. I tried to sound positive.

The view east from Guanella Pass. Bierstadt is the obvious peak. The Sawtooth is the ridge on the left (north). The famous willows can be seen in the valley.

Finally, starting the ascent after 1.5 miles of willows!

Fortunately, conditions really did improve ahead; the trail became well-packed and started to climb in a no-nonsense way. I took off my snowshoes and stowed them under a convenient tree. Soon we ascended the headwall and crossed a couple of steep slopes where I was a little concerned about avalanche danger. We crossed quickly one at a time and had no trouble.
Above the headwall (12,200'), we trudged up the less-steep slopes staying to the northern edge. The ground up there was covered with hard, patchy snow interspersed with tundra and rocks. Sticking to the snow as much as possible, we soon arrived at the edge of a cornice over the valley below the Sawtooth. We turned south-east and began to ascend steeper and rockier terrain. Amy was feeling poorly at this point and dragged along. Chris had joined us at this point, making us a foursome. We stopped for a first lunch just above the 13,000' cairn where we'd turned around last time. Seeing the steeper terrain, Chris and I broke out the ice-axes. Amy and Nathan continued on snowshoes, largely for the crampons they provided.

First lunch stop at 13,000'.

Nathan nears the ridge at 13,600' following a line of large cairns.

As we got higher, Amy felt better and Chris felt worse. Amy had been drinking water steadily as we hiked while Chris was almost finished with his meager supplies. I donated part of my supply, but I was beginning to feel a bit dehydrated myself. Dehyrdation is a problem up here and proper hydration is the key to performance. We made slow time up to the ridge at 13,780' following a set of large cairns toward the top. We paused for another lunch and cached some gear for the trip down. From up here on the ridge, the view to the west was stunning with Square Top and Argentine Peak in the near distance with Gray and Torres and all the rest farther west. A gorgeous, steeper snow slope lead north-east to the 14,060' summit.

Now, the final push to the summit!

Much altitude-induced silliness.

Chris wheezes up to the summit.

My Valentine and I celebrate our first 14er.

With a triumphant shout, we gained the summit and walked the hundred feet or so to the benchmark. The first 14er for all four of us! Many photos were taken and the mood was jubiulant and giddy. For the moment, we lords of all we surveyed (which was quite a lot). To the east, we could see the bulk of Mt. Evans rising above us. Between us and it was a gulf of air and steep drops down to the aptly named Frozen Lake. The mighty Pikes Peak could be clearly seen to the south and beyond it the flat plains of eastern Colorado. Northward, Longs Peak could be seen hiding behind the Arapaho Peaks and the rest of the Indian Peaks. To the west were rank after rank of snowy mountains including most of the rest of the big mountains in Colorado.

The view west. Squaretop is in the left foreground. Gray and Torres are the two pointy mountains in the center.

Looking north and east from the summit. Mt. Evans blocks much of the view east.

Looking south: Pikes peak is at the extreme left.

But the time was after 3pm and we still had three miles of descent to do before dark. I lead the way down taking some time to glissade the snowfield on the summit ridge. We paused briefly at the gear cache on the ridge and then started downward at a good pace. All of us were essentially out of water at this point and time was of the essense. Soon we were picking our path amongst the boulders to find the longest uninterupted snowfields. Nathan tended to take a running start and then slide down on his heels. The rest of us were axe-equipped and chose a more plebian sitting glissade. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and soon the slope had relaxed enough to prevent further sliding.
We reached the cornice again and turned west toward the cars, easily visible through a few miles of afternoon air. The air got colder as the sun got lower. I started feeling pretty dehydrated at this point and had burned through all three liters of water I'd brought. I'd also neglected to don sunscreen before leaving and was battling a raging sunburn. We descended the headwall and started out across the willows as the sun dipped below the western horizon. The last mile uphill was torture to me and I was bonking pretty hard. Venus, Mars and Saturn shone overhead as the stars came out. Amy and Nathan kept up a torrid pace, however, and felt obliged to keep up. We finally reached the car at a little after 6pm and collapsed gratefully. The drive out went without incident and we stopped for some well-earned, entirely delicious pizza at the Mountain Cafe in Georgetown.

Back down near the cornice in the setting sun.

A most triumphant return to Bierstadt, our first 14er, and a winter ascent to boot. All gear performed well. The scenery was gorgeous and the day fine. It's taught me a new respect for high-altitude conditions, the importance of hydration and nutrition and, above all, the importance of sunscreen.

The Wilderness Journal

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