Monday, September 22, 2008

Volume 3

Last Saturday was my 2-year anniversary of becoming a Colorado resident. I spent it by knocking off a 14er and watching football. In the morning I drove up to Guanella Pass and hiked up Mt. Bierstadt. The weather was perfect. There was snow on the ground, but it wasn’t that cold for the elevation. The day was sunny, and there was no wind. I was in short sleeves on the way down. Guanella Pass has an elevation of 11,669 feet, and Mt. Bierstadt is at an elevation of 14,060 feet. It is 3 miles up, and the first mile is easy. The hike felt longer, but it was ridiculously easier than Longs Peak. There were quite a few people going up. I got to the summit a little after 10:00 A.M. The top has a great view of Mt. Evans and surrounding area. Here are the pictures from the hike.
Mt. Bierstadt in the morning

Looking back towards Guenella Pass
The slopes of Mt. Bierstadt

Mt. Evans & Abyss Lake from Mt. Bierstadt
Me on Mt. Bierstadt with Mt. Evans behind me
Artsy shot to the southeast from the slopes of Mt. Bierstadt
The Sawtooth - the ridge that connects Mt. Bierstadt to Mt. Evans.
The evening was spent watching the Bulldogs and the Rapids. The Bulldogs got the job done, but they will need to play a lot better this coming Saturday when Alabama comes to Athens. The Rapids tied the Revolution. The Rapids would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. It doesn’t, but they are back in contention so I happy about that. I also watched a little bit of the Noles game. Sorry Pops, Wake Forest is a little better than the Noles previous opponents.

I see that the Dolphins won a game on Sunday. I’m thrilled that they didn’t wait till the end of the season like last year. Anyway, volume three of life in Colorado is off to a good start. I’m looking forward to what’s to come.

-MM

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another 14'er. Good for you. I walked in the neighborhood today (getting in shape to climb Green Mountain) and Carter rode his bike to keep me company.

With my Noles I try to keep myself positive by saying they are young and will get better as the season progresses. Hope I'm right.

Anonymous said...

You said "The hike felt longer, but it was ridiculously easier than Longs Peak." Are you meaning that your hike up Beirstadt felt like it took longer to complete than your Longs Peak hike? I am assuming that you meant the 3 mile hike seemed longer than 3 miles. Also you said you got up around 10:00. What time did you start?

Slim Jim

Mighty Mike said...

Slim,

Yeah, you are right. That should read that the hike seemed longer than 3 miles. I started my hike at about 8:00. It was a little more than 2 hours to get up. I don't remember the exact times. My only stops were for pictures and a couple of quick drinks of water. I didn't make great time going down either. I had to go slow to avoid sliding in the snow and then the mud on the bottom half. It took a little less than 2 hours for me to get down I believe. I thought I was hiking faster than that though.