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Peak(s):  Mt. Bierstadt  -  14,066 feet
Mt. Blue Sky  -  14,268 feet
Date Posted:  08/16/2016
Date Climbed:   08/16/2016
Author:  Ecocrazy
 East Ridge Bierstadt Sawtooth   

tl;dr: More fun than the standard routes, but not much sustained scrambling. Definitely not as fun as Quandry's West Ridge or Torreys' Kelso.

Parked at the 13,300' switchback and slept there in my car -- no interruptions and very quiet after 10pm. A little weird to descend a gully first thing, but the basin below is beautiful. It's a slog up the grass slopes to Bierstadt's East Ridge, but only about 800' vertical. Some fun scrambling up to point 13,6xx. This was my second time on the Sawtooth and both times it has been a bit disappointing. There is a really fun stretch of scrambling before you cross over to the north side of the ridge, but it's short. The exposure on the backside looks scary from a distance but is really nothing. And then it's a bit of a slog across the high parts of Evans. Saw a guy climbing from Summit Lake with a road bike for the descent, and saw three guys in suits and ties at the summit. Quick descent from the summit down to the pullout at 13,300. All-in-all, a fine, quick, near-Denver scramble with two 14ers, but less scrambling than you might expect/want.

Image
Most of the route, and a hiker carrying a road bike!



Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
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