Beirstadt & Evans (Sawtooth Ridge) 6-26-13

I was really on the fence about taking Nualla as I didn't want to wear her paws out. I was also planning on bagging both Mount Bierstadt and Evans. The saddle between the two is class 3 scrambling and is affectionately referred to as the Sawtooth Ridge. Between that and hearing a horror story about a dog being abandoned by its owners on the ridge was what tipped the scales in the direction of leaving ol' girl at the house. Don't let me forget to mention that people have died on sections of this ridge. This was my first class 3 excursion but it had to happen eventually. Not all of these summits are as hospitable as others.

I had a great start to the day, it was beautiful and sunny. The sun was doing its regular routine of lighting up the high alpine areas of the mountains and then working the light down.

The beginning of the hike to Bierstadt was mellow. The trail consisted of alternating footpaths and boardwalks over marshy areas. Inevitably though it turned uphill and the elevation gain began. This mountain was very forgiving though and the trail was very careful to be well worn and have plenty of switchbacks. I eventually came to the end of the footpath and the boulder jumping started.

In no time at all I had bagged another peak!

The moment was bittersweet though because I took the liberty of having a glimpse off the backside towards the sawtooth. It was certainly intimidating despite the fact that the guidebook says it's harder than it looks. I wasn't too fired up about it but I knew that I would be hitting mandatory class 3s and 4s before too long. This might as well be a nice introduction.

I started making my way down the steep talus on the backside of Bierstadt towards the ridge. I took my time as the blocks of rock were very uneven and haphazard. Getting hurt here would be no picnic.

Since I had never been on this route before and I was soloing it I was just picking my way along in a general direction. In hindsight I made the mistake of staying too high on the ridge where it was much more exposed and tedious. I ended up spending more energy than necessary but it was still good practice. I noticed my mistake when another group of hikers stayed lower in the talus field and were making very good time. Just as I was approaching the crux of the route the other group caught up with me.

After speaking with them briefly I learned that at least one of them had done this same route several times so I joined them for the remainder of the ridge. After picking our way through I realized what the guidebook author meant when he said it was easier than it looks. Technically speaking it wasn't that hard once you got past the fact that some parts of the route require you to be on cliffs that are over 1,000 feet tall! We all scrambled along and I made it a point to not look down over the edge. I also tried not to dwell on how others had lost their lives where they had slipped off right from where I was standing.

After a hasty traverse and ascent we had successfully crossed the sawtooth. I was thankful for the camaraderie and route experience. I told them all as much and we went our separate ways. The way towards Evans was interesting in that the top area was generally flat but peppered everywhere with slopey rocks.

I paused and ate some food under a nice overhang that one provided. It was nice to be in some shade and rest after all the scrambling.

Back on the trail and working my way to the summit found me tired. The trek started to seem arduous and the relentless sun was sucking all of my energy away. I made it to the summit of Evans after plodding along. I knew that there would be people up there but my senses were accosted after my accustomed solitude on the mountain.

Everybody up there was so full of energy and loud in comparison to how I felt. I realized I was pretty exhausted but I still couldn't help but feel like these people had cheated their way to the summit by driving. After sitting for a spell, drinking some water, and eating a bit more food I got noticeably less crabby. Another hiker struck up a conversation with me and realized we were both heading back down the same trail. After I checked out the bighorn sheep and mountain goats hanging around the parking area I met up with her and we started back down the other trail to make a loop.

It's always nice meeting people on the trail as conversation makes the miles go by faster and you can help one another out. We carefully made our way down a steep gulley until it leveled out into a marshy valley.

We had heard that it was supposed to be pretty sloppy down there and it proved to be accurate. The trail was hard to find at times as it twisted and twirled through stream crossings, mud patches, and willow thickets. At first I took care not to get my shoes completely soaked but that soon proved an awfully silly notion. Once they were both soaked it wasn't anything to simply plod along through the worst of it. On two different occasions I tried to get out of some mud a little too quickly and almost lost a shoe. With a good bit of navigating and a whole lot of patience we finally got back to the main trail. We made good time after getting back on better ground. At the last creek crossing we made sure to simply walk through the creek to get the worst of the muck off our shoes. It was very liberating to get those filthy things off of my feet. This whole endeavor took 10 hours. The longest hike so far but that would be surpassed in the days to come.