Two in Two - Part 1
Hey all,
I guess its time for an update. Sorry I'm such a LJ slacker.
So I thought I might write about my two in two...
Two 14ers in Two weeks...(Yeah, I'm paying for it now!)
1st 14er - Mt Evans.
Two weeks ago, my brother-in-law (Hereafter BIL) and I did a three day backpacking trip up into the Mt. Evans Wilderness Management Area to camp out and summit Mt. Evans. It was about 20 miles in 3 days. The first day we drove to the trailhead, Camp Rock campground, got out our big ole packs, and started hiking. It took about 5 hours to get to where we wanted to camp - about 7 miles in, and about 3K in elevation gain. It only rained/hailed on us once, and that was for only about 15 minutes, before it cleared up again. The campsite was right where we hoped to find one, right at treeline, and just a hundred yards or so from Bear Creek so we could filter water and not have to carry it all with us. The site was amazing, and we set up right as sunset was coming on...a rainbow was to our east, and between us and Denver. A great night, with shooting stars and all.
The next day we left all we could at the camp site, bringing just rain gear, snacks, and water, and proceeded to hike up to Summit Lake (12,800) for a water refill, checked out the Chicago Lakes overlook, and then (stupidly) climbed up the eastern face to the summit of Evans. The eastern face didn't really have a trail, so we found our own way, with thunder overhead, and misty clouds coming in. That little 1/2 mile we climbed equaled 1400 feet of vertical. It was the hardest hiking/climbing I've done to date. Damn I was tired. We got to the top, where incidentally the parking lot it, as Evans is one of two 14ers you can drive to the summit in Colorado. You may be asking yourself..."Why in the world did you hike it rather than drive up?" Probably muttering under your breath that I'm crazy. You'd be right. =)
It was a good, close, backpacking trip, so why not? After we summited, we hiked down the road, in case we needed to dodge lightning by hitching a ride. Of course, when we hiked to the summit from the parking lot, which took about 2 minutes, we were surrounded by tourists trying to pet the mountain goats. Dumb tourists...we really wanted to see the male charge them when they got close to the baby, but unfortunately it didn't happen. =(
The hike back to camp took about 2 more hours, but we got back before it started getting dark. The trail we took from the site to the summit and back was all above treeline, so no trail to speak of, just rock cairns to show the way. Very cool, very desolate, but very beautiful. So that day was bout 8-10 miles of hiking, and another 2K up and 2k Down in elevation.
The last day we ate breakfast, broke camp, piled everything back into the packs, including the whiskey, and headed back to the trailhead. Took about 2 hours to get back down. Funny that. It was a blast. If you want pics, let me know, and I'll share.
Definitely an amazing backpacking/hiking trip.
Part II to come.
I guess its time for an update. Sorry I'm such a LJ slacker.
So I thought I might write about my two in two...
Two 14ers in Two weeks...(Yeah, I'm paying for it now!)
1st 14er - Mt Evans.
Two weeks ago, my brother-in-law (Hereafter BIL) and I did a three day backpacking trip up into the Mt. Evans Wilderness Management Area to camp out and summit Mt. Evans. It was about 20 miles in 3 days. The first day we drove to the trailhead, Camp Rock campground, got out our big ole packs, and started hiking. It took about 5 hours to get to where we wanted to camp - about 7 miles in, and about 3K in elevation gain. It only rained/hailed on us once, and that was for only about 15 minutes, before it cleared up again. The campsite was right where we hoped to find one, right at treeline, and just a hundred yards or so from Bear Creek so we could filter water and not have to carry it all with us. The site was amazing, and we set up right as sunset was coming on...a rainbow was to our east, and between us and Denver. A great night, with shooting stars and all.
The next day we left all we could at the camp site, bringing just rain gear, snacks, and water, and proceeded to hike up to Summit Lake (12,800) for a water refill, checked out the Chicago Lakes overlook, and then (stupidly) climbed up the eastern face to the summit of Evans. The eastern face didn't really have a trail, so we found our own way, with thunder overhead, and misty clouds coming in. That little 1/2 mile we climbed equaled 1400 feet of vertical. It was the hardest hiking/climbing I've done to date. Damn I was tired. We got to the top, where incidentally the parking lot it, as Evans is one of two 14ers you can drive to the summit in Colorado. You may be asking yourself..."Why in the world did you hike it rather than drive up?" Probably muttering under your breath that I'm crazy. You'd be right. =)
It was a good, close, backpacking trip, so why not? After we summited, we hiked down the road, in case we needed to dodge lightning by hitching a ride. Of course, when we hiked to the summit from the parking lot, which took about 2 minutes, we were surrounded by tourists trying to pet the mountain goats. Dumb tourists...we really wanted to see the male charge them when they got close to the baby, but unfortunately it didn't happen. =(
The hike back to camp took about 2 more hours, but we got back before it started getting dark. The trail we took from the site to the summit and back was all above treeline, so no trail to speak of, just rock cairns to show the way. Very cool, very desolate, but very beautiful. So that day was bout 8-10 miles of hiking, and another 2K up and 2k Down in elevation.
The last day we ate breakfast, broke camp, piled everything back into the packs, including the whiskey, and headed back to the trailhead. Took about 2 hours to get back down. Funny that. It was a blast. If you want pics, let me know, and I'll share.
Definitely an amazing backpacking/hiking trip.
Part II to come.