First 14er: Mt. Bierstadt

We finished our first 14er.  And it was awesome.

A 14er is a mountain that exceedds 14,000 feet above sea level.  There are 53 14ers in Colorado.

We decided to camp the night before our hike so we could get an early start in the morning.  Guanella Pass Campground was only a few miles from the trail head so that seemed like a great option.  There are 18 campsites and apparently half of the spots can be reserved in advance and the other half are first come first served.  We were really hoping we would make it there early enough to find a spot, but no such luck at 5:30pm on a Friday.  It actually was a blessing in disguise because those spots were a bit too close to other campers (although they did have bathrooms...that must be nice).   We pulled off the side of the road a few minutes away from the campground and marked our territory.  

Our campsite seemed so glamourous - we camped one other time this summer with a group of friends but that was hiking camping, not car camping.  Having unlimited blankets, pillows food, etc. was quite the luxury this time!

We thought if we woke up at 5:15 on Saturday morning we would have plenty of time to eat breakfast, pack the car and get to the trail head early.  We go to the Guanella Pass Trail Head at 6:45 am and there were already 100+ cars!  Apparently people leave Denver around 4 or 5 in the morning to get there bright and early.  

Our hike started at 11,669 feet, only 2,850 vertical feet to go! The sun was rising behind the mountains and since the whole hike is facing west, it was beautiful.  

About ten minutes into the hike, we passed a small lake where two moose were bathing!  Great start to a morning.  The first 1/3 of the hike (about 1.5 miles) was relatively flat (although I didn't think so at the time).  Once you reach about 12,500 feet you see the Sawtooth and the valley below it.  Stunning views, but at this point the remainder of the trail becomes quite rocky and steep.  

We were finally a few hundred feet from the summit, but it was so cold we had to get our wind breakers out. We already had on fleeces, gloves, and hats.  Probably around 45 degrees with strong winds (it was August).

 The last part to the summit is basically straight up, climbing large boulders.  It was a bit of a challenge, especially at that elevation but the adrenaline definitely kicks in! You're so close to the top; it's an exciting feeling. The hike up took about 2.5-3 hours, with several stops along the way.  

We finally made it to the top of Mt. Bierstadt.  14,060 feet! We enjoyed our PBJ lunch (it as 9:30 in the morning but felt like it was 3pm) and started our journey back down the mountain.  I was surprised how difficult the climb down was; it took us about 2 hours to get down!

Herman Lake Hike

Yesterday morning we drove about 60 minutes West of Denver to the Herman Gulch Trail head.  You take I-70 and get off at exit 218, a few miles before the tunnel.  You can see the trail head from the exit ramp, just a few hundred feet away.  This has some pros and cons:  pro that it is so easily accessible and you've probably passed it a hundred times without realizing it was there.  The biggest con is that it can get rather crowded and the first few minutes of the hike are full of noise from the interstate.

The trail head has bathrooms and plenty of parking, but don't let that fool you.  Make sure to get there early in the summer months.  We arrived at 8:15 on Saturday morning and there were about 3 dozen cars already there.  A perk of getting there early: minimal hikers at the end of the hike at Herman Lake.  

The hike starts out in the forest on a wide, rocky trail.  It steadily increases and after the first mile, opens into a meadow.

You know you're close to the lake when you see the sign for the fork in the road.  You can continue 5 miles to Jones Pass or hike another 15 minutes  West to Herman Lake.  Pettingell Peak(13,553') and Hagar Mountain (13,195') are both visible from this point.

The guys decided to jump in the lake (just to say they did ?) but I opted out of this terrible idea.  They only lasted about 5 seconds, once the picture was taken, to jump out.  The air was about 60 degrees but I'm betting the water was in the 40s!  Beautiful hike, great for out of towners visiting the area.  

mohawk lake

Before Matt moved out here, he came to visit in October 2011 for his birthday weekend. There was already snow in the mountains but it was in the mid 60s so we thought a hike in the Rockies was the best way to start our Colorado adventures!

Mohawk Lake Trail is just a few miles past Breckenridge. There are about 30 parking spots at the end of Spruce Creek Road where the trail starts.  The first half is through the trees as you approach the tree line.  There is a beautiful lake that makes a great place to grab a drink of water and take in the scenery.  

Continental Falls are about 2 miles up, can't miss that.  Look for the rusty cable on the ground from old miners.  As you continue to climb you will reach Lower Mohawk and Upper Mohawk lakes.

mohawk lake trailhead map