AlexeyD wrote:If your schedule allows you to wait until Sunday, I might suggest that. That'll give you an extra day to acclimate, which should help. You could head up there Saturday during the day, set up camp, spend the day hanging out and maybe exploring the area (the campsites are around 10-11000', so good for acclimatizing), and then head up early Sun morning.chridaniel01 wrote:Jay521 wrote:It sounds like you have done your research - that's a good thing. I believe Clear Creek County will have the road open to the TH by Saturday morning which will also shorten your hike some. I would only caution you on a couple points - you don't say where you are now and if you are at low altitude, be aware that some acclimatization might be required. Also, a 5:45AM start is good but a 5AM start would be even better. The snow does get soft as the day wears on and coming down can be more difficult than going up (post hole city...). The earlier you leave, the more time you will have to enjoy the hike, the views from the top, etc.
Be safe and have FUN! Bierstadt is considered easy but it's still not a walk in the park. Let us know how it goes for you!
Jay
Very well said points. We are at sea level. We all live in Miami. So the acclimatization is a concern. We land in Denver at 10am so we will have less than 24 hours. 2 other group members arrive even later, so they are a concern for me. I read ginko biloboa helps which I plan to start taking tomorrow. This was very helpful. Hopefully the gate is open by Saturday, if not there is Sunday!!!
BTW...I noticed that Jay's report mentions the words "good trench". This is very good news for you
Regarding snow softening: I was up on a short morning ski tour yesterday (Tuesday), also in the Front Range, at altitudes between 11000 and 13000 feet. I can't overstate Scott's point about how quickly the snow softens once the sun hits it! For reference, around 8 AM everything was still frozen solid; by 9:30 (when I started down), the lower slopes were already a little too soft! Granted, these were east-facing slopes, while Bierstadts' standard route has a westerly aspect, which might delay this transition a bit, but the point is that once the sun does hit it, you really don't have much time before it turns to mush.
Thank you for the information. Sunday may be option as well. Seems the forecast is predicating the same for Saturday and Sunday. I will keep an eye on the weather forecast hourly. The snow softening is also a big factor. Thank you for mentioning, I may bring snow shoes just to be safe.