Would really like to reach top of West Evans on way to Mt. Evans via Mount Spaulding. Prefer to not climb the whole ridge (will have our 13 yo daughter on her first 14er). Any tips on determining at what point to climb for the correct peak without a gps watch? I've read it can be hard to see the peaks while crossing to a Evans and have read debates as to the correct peak. I found this old thread but am still unsure how to determine which peak it actually is.
https://14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36739" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
West Evans?
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brooked
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West Evans?
Last edited by brooked on Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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ameristrat
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Re: West Evans?
West Evans is actually pretty close to the main summit - a quarter-mile away maybe? The main Evans trail drops after the notch and traverses along the south-western slopes of Evans, gaining very little elevation until you near the parking lot by the summit.
You can reach West Evans by heading straight up the ridge from that notch, or by taking a higher, ascending traverse on an intermittent climbers trail that reaches the ridge just before West Evans' summit.
If you're worried about leaving your daughter, just climb to the main summit first, and look back along the ridge to identify the west summit. Then take fifteen minutes to go climb it and come back.
The fun way is straight up the ridge, though it sounds like that won't work for you. Let me know if I can clarify that further.
You can reach West Evans by heading straight up the ridge from that notch, or by taking a higher, ascending traverse on an intermittent climbers trail that reaches the ridge just before West Evans' summit.
If you're worried about leaving your daughter, just climb to the main summit first, and look back along the ridge to identify the west summit. Then take fifteen minutes to go climb it and come back.
The fun way is straight up the ridge, though it sounds like that won't work for you. Let me know if I can clarify that further.
You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know. - Rene Daumal
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M_Dundee
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Re: West Evans?
Two years ago I led a small group of kids from Summit Lake over Mt Spaulding to Mt Evans and return. At the time the kids ranged in age from 8 to 11 and done 1 to 3 Fourteeners previously. There is trail the entire way and the last part before reaching the Mt Evans summit parking lot traverses under West Evans. Those of us who wanted to do West Evans waited until our return from Mt Evans to climb. As in the previous reply we determined from Mt Evans which was the highest point, then took the trail back to just below that point. Some of our group climbed up to West Evans while the rest stayed down on the trail. From the trail up to just below the ridge was Class 2 rock hopping.
