Trip Report: Mt Bierstadt

I don’t even know how it started. Probably while sitting around the kitchen table with our roommate Jon, perusing the internet. Or maybe it was a library book my husband brought home, called ‘The Colorado 14ers’. Somehow, though, we found ourselves driving I-70 west, early (for us) on a Sunday in early June, wearing just our running gear, and having no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

We arrived at the nearly full parking lot at 10:30am, got our running gear together and headed off on the trail. Almost immediately, our running pace turned into a hiking pace due to the lack of oxygen. The trailhead starts at almost 11,500 feet, which means that there is only 66% of the oxygen available at sea level. *gasp* And we aren’t even acclimated to Golden (altitude 5,620 feet).

View from the trailhead

The trail was muddy! Good thing were all wearing the Salomon Fellcross!

The day was perfect in every way. I was wearing shorts and a running tank top, the sun was out and the sky was the bluest I’d ever seen. Within the first mile we already found snow and Cody was ecstatic- rolling around all over the place. Nothing says pure joy like a dog playing in snow in June.

Pure joy

Cody keeping lookout for Ryan and Jon, who were ahead of me

            As we were getting higher up the mountain, our ridiculous running outfits felt even more out of place- all of the other hikers were wearing crampons, winter coats and snow pants. I was working so hard to breath that I was sweaty in my tiny running shorts! The snow was a ton of fun to hike in, even if it did make forward progress a little slow.

Shorts and T-shirt in the snow? Of course!

Snowy trail in June

            When we reached the summit, the wind kicked up a bit and we added layers. We were lucky enough to have the summit nearly to ourselves. We ate a bit, relaxed, took pictures and just enjoyed the incredibly views at 14,111 feet. 

First 14er!!

Pretending to run at 14,000 feet

Cody being careful on the edge!

Trail runners, or mountain climbers?

Heading back, we learned how to glissade down on our heals, and even slid in the snow for a bit. It was a lot easier to go down then up!

Soooo much easier

Wheee!!

            Cody had an absolute blast on the mountain. She loved the snow, the views, and running back and forth between Jon, Ryan and I, completely oblivious to the fact that there was so little Oxygen. Despite the ‘crowds’ on the trail, she ignored everyone else, except her pack. Nearly every other hiker commented on what a good dog she was, or how pretty she is, and wanted to pet her. She was focused on her job of keeping track of her people but tolerated a few pets. Cody could sense her calling as a mountain dog, and looked completely at home the entire hike. She also had an innate sense of the cliffs, and was cautiously brave about approaching any edge, so much so that I trusted her to make smart decisions at the summit.

Cody the amazing mountain dog

            Our first 14er was an overwhelming success. We got lucky that our late start didn’t mean getting caught in a lightning storm at the top, and despite our lack of experience in hiking/climbing mountains, we were perfectly comfortable in our running clothes and hydration packs.

Gear:

Shoes:We all wore our Salomon Fellcross (mine were technically the SpeedCross), which gave us plenty of traction in the snow and mud. 

Socks:

Wool socks were a necessity since the first mile of the trail was soaking wet and muddy. Ryan and I love our SmartWools!

Packs:

Ryan: Ultimate Direction Wasp

Alaina: Nathan Hydration pack

Jon: Salomon pack

Cody: Julius K9 IDC harness with her water being the snow

Overview:

Bierstadt is great trail for running, even in the snow. It gets quite crowded, so arrive early. Prepare to hike in a lot of water at the beginning of the trail.