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Peak(s):  Mt. Bierstadt  -  14,066 feet
Date Posted:  08/22/2007
Date Climbed:   08/16/2007
Author:  CarolinaGirl
 Mt. Bierstadt- my first 14er!   

Mt. Bierstadt (14,060')
Route: Mt. Bierstadt Trail and the Sawtooth
Total Distance: ~8 miles
Elevation Gain: ~3500 ft

I've been dying to play in the Colorado Rockies for months now, and finally got to move here in August. I've been very excited for a long time now, so when Stevevets689 invited me along for the Bierstadt/Sawtooth/Evans combo I jumped on the chance to have my first 14er experience! I love class 3 scrambles and the Sawtooth seemed like a great starter. I left Boulder around 2:30 in the morning on Thursday and we had hit the trail by about 4:30 am. Just being at the trailhead was already the highest I had ever been, and I could feel the altitude almost immediately.

The hike up Mt. Bierstadt was very easy and not as steep as I was expecting. It wasn't very tiring, but I had to go very slowly and stop a million times just to get a breath! The sun started to rise and I got to finally see the beautiful views surrounding me. Here is my view northwest (?) with Grays and Torreys in the distance.
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Here is a snowfield near the summit.. nothing you'd want to play on though, there is a pretty big drop off right on the other side of it.
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the last few feet!
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Finally! My first 14er summit! It was a few minutes after 8:00 am at this point. Me on top of Bierstadt.. cold, proud, and ecstatic!
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Steve enjoying the summit
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At this point, I was feeling really great, enjoying the views, and eyeing our next step.. the Sawtooth.. the blue line shows our approximate route down the Sawtooth, around the notch, cutting over to the west side, up the ledges, and heading towards the gully..(i don‘t think the line on the sawtooth is an exact replication of the way we went, but should be fairly close)
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A view of Abyss Lake and Mt. Evans (which we were planning on getting to, but didn't quite make it)
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On the Sawtooth, looking back on the descent we had just done from Mt. Bierstadt (a lot of loose rock here).
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Me on the Sawtooth..
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The views were absolutely gorgeous! (I was head over heels in love)
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A close up on the Sawtooth of what was ahead..
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Ok, for some odd reason, even though we were lower at this point than we were when we were on the summit of Mt. Bierstadt, I got hit with a pretty bad bout of altitude sickness. I had a headache, but the worst was the extreme dizziness I was experiencing.. Every step was increasingly difficult because I had a hard time putting my feet where I wanted them to go and I kept feeling like any second I would just blackout and fall off the side of the mountain. To make the situation even better, about twenty minutes after I began feeling really sick, the clouds were slowly starting to roll in.. At this point, we were pretty commited and decided the best way back down was to continue the way we were going, and once off the Sawtooth to head straight for the gully and to skip our planned summit of Mt. Evans. This was much easier said than done. The route ahead was long and difficult (thanks to being sick/dizzy and my feet and legs slowly starting to wear down. Technically speaking, the route is actually pretty easy and a great starter as a class 3- in most places its more of a difficult class 2. I had no problems with moves, but the route itself is a pretty long one (for me) and very difficult and nerve-wracking if you're extremely dizzy and kept placing your feet on all the loose rock. Steve was extremely encouraging, helpful, and patient. I might have given up at a couple points if he hadn't been there to guide me. It was sort of a mixture of 'I know you're sick so take breaks, breathe, and drink water'.. and 'We need to get off this mountain as fast as we can because these clouds are rolling in and turning gray..'

We made it around the notch and onto the ledges.. here's Steve starting his way up..
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It took me a very long time to get through this part, (again, not actually technically difficult at all) but we managed to make it up and started approaching the gully..
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It started to lightly rain on us and we were hearing thunder, so at this point, I pretty much quit taking so many breaks (although I was still moving pretty slowly)..The gully was slightly steep and definately wet with loose rock..Here's a view down the gully..
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Here's a view from the gully, looking down towards the wonderful willows we were going to be going through to get back to the parking lot. (which is circled in red).
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The willows felt like they pretty much took forever, it was a lot of pushing through them with your feet completely sinking in mud every so often. (A boardwalk here would have been absolutely amazing). There are bits of trail here to follow through the willows to take you back to the standard trail. We did manage to take a snack break on the gully because the weather looked like it was clearing up instead of getting worse. Fortunately it never rained hard on us, and even though we heard some thunder, the storm wasn't too close and we didn't have to deal with lightning. We got back to the standard trail around 3:00 pm (I think).

To sum it all up.... I am definately officially addicted. Aside from the pain and sickness, it really was absolutely amazing. Just standing that high and looking out on all of the other endless peaks was a feeling that just can't be described. This route specifically I would say was fairly easy, though long and arduous at some points. For someone who has done 14ers, and knows they wouldn't get sick, it would be a pretty easy hike, and a very easy class 3. Hey, if an out of shape flatlander like me can do it, anybody can. However, if you're looking to do your first 14er, I would personally recommend starting with something shorter, and a class 1, so that if you do end up getting sick, you can easily turn around and walk down.

Thanks for taking me on my first 14er Steve! You were an amazing hiking partner and thanks for being so patient with me. I know you would have gotten down a few hours earlier if you had been alone, but overall I had a really great day and can't wait to go back for more!



Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
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Comments or Questions
ADKben
that a boy!
8/23/2007 6:32am
steve, way to be smooth and get the ladies! 8)


iceman
User
Another cautionary note:
8/23/2007 1:48pm
Bluejeans?


iceman
User
Way to go.
8/23/2007 2:13pm
Nice trip report and hopefully the first of many climbs. Previous comment was referring to Stevevets689 attire. Big no no. Even if ”JOHN WAYNE NEVER WORE LYCRA!”


KeithK
User
Good job!
11/30/2010 5:28pm
Congrats, and way to go after an aggressive route. Stephen is a good person to choose to join you, as he's about as level headed and cautious as anyone I've met on here. Despite the obvious comments from those that just want to be critical, I commend you guys!


krz2fer
User
That
11/30/2010 5:28pm
last photo really sums up how great it feels to get there, but how much of a hike it takes to get back to the lot. I'm glad you were able to fight through the AMS and get down. From my one experience with it many years ago, it's not only a terrible feeling, but scary as well. Despite all that jazz, glad you are still hooked!


CarolinaGirl
User
thanks everyone!
11/30/2010 5:28pm
this will definately just be the first of many.. couldn't have done it without the great info from everyone on this site (that i've slowly been collecting over the months).. and yes, having AMS on the ledges was incredibly nerve-wracking.. it was one very slow step after another..


stevevets689
User
I know
11/30/2010 5:28pm
Yes, Iceman, I know the whole deal with jeans. Believe me you're not the only one who has commented on them. There is even a nickname that has started because of them (which I will not divulge at this time.) I will get synthetics sometime soon though. Thanks for your concern, however.


reallyfunrachel
User
You're awesome!
11/30/2010 5:28pm
Way to represent South Carolina on the mountains! I'm so glad your first 14er was overall a good experience. Looking forward to summitting some together if I can ever get time off in BV this year. Love ya girl!


stevevets689
User
Great Job!
7/3/2017 11:32am
Way to be a trouper! I know that things kind of sucked once you started feeling sick, but you pushed yourself through it to the end.

A cautionary note: the Sawtooth Traverse is probably not a good beginner route because of its commitment. If you're halfway across and not doing good, you can't just start heading down. Hindsight is 20/20 though...



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