We found out that the Mount Evans road (half of the Mount Evans "Scenic Byway") was going to close for winter on Monday. The road - the highest paved in North America - is 14 miles long and goes pretty close to the summit. Mount Evans is 14,265' tall
The Byway is 28-miles long with the additional 14 miles between Mount Evans road and I-70. Foliage is awesome right now
The final 5.4 miles to the summit has been closed for a month now - which is great if you want to run to the summit. We parked under the peak at Summit Lake
It was a sunny cool day and very quiet with no vehicles
Mount Bierstadt - a 14'er just 1.5-miles away. It is considered an easy 14'er so we may try it in the next few weeks
Grays and Torreys - a pair of 14'ers Leadville Chuck wants to do next week
The approach. A parking lot for when the entire road is open and a University of Denver optical observatory (third highest in the world)
The summit is another 1/4 mile and an easy 300'
Obviously a "controversial" 14'er for the pure. We're taking credit and claiming it as our 2nd 14'er
The views are spectacular - although not as spectacular as either Quandary or South Arapaho. Maybe the sun was too bright
Saw critters on the run back. Mountain goat
Marmot
We hustled down best we could as there were a few stormy clouds but the pavement took a toll. We're used to dirt trails or packed gravel. It was more of a slow steady jog
Back at the car. No storm
The road is very sketchy to drive at times - no guardrails and steep drop-offs
The drive back to I-70. Plenty of folks pulled over taking pics
30 Sept 2011
28 Sept 2011
South Arapaho Summit
Leadville Chuck and myself made it to the trailhead just after 9am. Another glorious Colorado fall day
We were running for a decent time so no new pics of the first 2.1 miles / 1,150' of the ascent (trailhead to the mining ruins - see link below)
http://harvus.blogspot.com/2011/09/south-arapaho-preview.html
We made it to the mine in about 40 minutes and headed up - views were awesome
The peak came into view
This is Arapaho Glacier - where Boulder gets it's water
Half a mile and 700' from the summit. WTF?
There was a 10-minute stretch where I thought about turning around. Paralyzed with fear of heights at 12,900' HAHAHA - not good times. Leadville Chuck led the way finding the "easiest" route. Shortly after one false summit we had made it. HAHAHA!
Close up of Long's Peak and its shorter twin Meeker
Mandatory summit pics
Back down took a few final pics of the glacier and the summit
Round trip was 8.9-miles and 3,295' in 4h06m
We were running for a decent time so no new pics of the first 2.1 miles / 1,150' of the ascent (trailhead to the mining ruins - see link below)
http://harvus.blogspot.com/2011/09/south-arapaho-preview.html
We made it to the mine in about 40 minutes and headed up - views were awesome
The peak came into view
This is Arapaho Glacier - where Boulder gets it's water
Half a mile and 700' from the summit. WTF?
There was a 10-minute stretch where I thought about turning around. Paralyzed with fear of heights at 12,900' HAHAHA - not good times. Leadville Chuck led the way finding the "easiest" route. Shortly after one false summit we had made it. HAHAHA!
Close up of Long's Peak and its shorter twin Meeker
Mandatory summit pics
Back down took a few final pics of the glacier and the summit
Round trip was 8.9-miles and 3,295' in 4h06m
26 Sept 2011
South Arapaho Preview
Tuesday me and Leadville Chuck will be summiting 13,397' South Arapaho peak
Monday me and the Wife did maybe 4.2-miles of the 8- or 9-mile round-trip, ending our hike at 11,250' at the Fourth of July mine (we never planned on making it to the summit)
After going through Nederland and Eldora, the trailhead is at the end of 5 miles of a real rough dirt road flanked by foliage and waterfalls
The trail begins in the woods but shortly emerges
At first we thought these mountains is where the Arapahos (South and North) were. They are not - but they are visually spectacular
We stayed on Arapaho Pass Trail and crossed a field before arriving at the intersection with Arapaho Glacier Trail - our route tomorrow
At this intersection is the Fourth of July mine - closed a century ago
This is Tuesday's hike (it goes behind this)
It looks easy. Not these pictures:
http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=9255&parmpeak=South+Arapaho+Pk&cpgm=tripmain&ski=Include
Check these short videos out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZvlWNEJExM&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YPNM7LuNSk
So...if I die at least I didn't die at work
Monday me and the Wife did maybe 4.2-miles of the 8- or 9-mile round-trip, ending our hike at 11,250' at the Fourth of July mine (we never planned on making it to the summit)
After going through Nederland and Eldora, the trailhead is at the end of 5 miles of a real rough dirt road flanked by foliage and waterfalls
The trail begins in the woods but shortly emerges
At first we thought these mountains is where the Arapahos (South and North) were. They are not - but they are visually spectacular
We stayed on Arapaho Pass Trail and crossed a field before arriving at the intersection with Arapaho Glacier Trail - our route tomorrow
At this intersection is the Fourth of July mine - closed a century ago
This is Tuesday's hike (it goes behind this)
It looks easy. Not these pictures:
http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=9255&parmpeak=South+Arapaho+Pk&cpgm=tripmain&ski=Include
Check these short videos out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZvlWNEJExM&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YPNM7LuNSk
So...if I die at least I didn't die at work
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