An Adventure in the Colorado Rockies - part two - Grays Peak and Mt Evans

The sharp grating noise from the floor of my hire car brought to mind nightmarish words such as excesses and clauses and something about not driving on 4 wheel drive roads. Its significance here was that the Steven's Gulch Road had won this particular battle and that I'd now need to turn around without going over the edge. I managed this with less difficulty than the initial panic might have suggested and soon found myself back at a parking area about half way up the track near to Josephine Mine. Some guidebooks and websites say that you can drive this road in an ordinary vehicle and some say you can't. In the absence of a united front on either side I will say that if you value your car - don't try!

I'd left Interstate 70 at junction 221 for Bakerville back down in the valley and driven up the winding dirt track through the pines, passing a parking area before reaching a section that more resembled a dry river bed than a road - rocks, ruts, the lot! It was this short section that had defeated me and so I set out from the lower car park to walk to the Grays Peak trailhead.

I'd been going only 10 or 15 minutes when I heard a car coming up the track behind me so I instinctively stuck out a thumb in hope. The car turned out to be a jeep and I was soon chatting to 2two guys from one of the New England universities - though I can't remember which one it was - as we drove up to the trailhead. I was pleased to see that even in a Jeep the driver took great care on the part that had caused me problems so at least I hadn't bottled it for no reason.

Setting out on the trail to Grays Peak

The trailhead is at a height of about 11200 feet, just on the tree line, and the three of us set off together. The path was obvious and easy to follow, leading up a wide valley towards the snow covered Grays and Torreys Peaks at its head. One of my companions was a sports instructor at the college, specialising in coaching hockey and it soon became apparent that they were somewhat fitter than I was so rather than hold them up; I suggested they carry on and we meet up at the top. They carried on up the trail and I followed at a slightly easier pace - after all, we were at over 11000 feet here! The trail which had risen gently up to now began to climb more steeply as I neared the end of the long wide valley. I headed firstly up steep heathery slopes before veering more to the left over rocky terrain near a shallow col. Heading up and away from the col and leaving the valley's confines, I found myself in a huge stony bowl in the mountainside as the track levelled out a little. The upper walls of this cirque were formed by the high crags and snowfields of Grays and Torreys Peaks still far above. I could just make out ant like figures picking their way across the snow just under the ridgeline. I set off up the trail again after a rest, spotting a lone mountain goat by the side of the track. There were a few people about today, but it's a popular route and the weather was warm and settled, unlike on some of my other walks in Colorado on this trip.

Looking roughly west from the summit of Grays Peak

Back to the matter in hand and I continued up the zigzag path as it began cutting through wide snowfields which stretched down the bouldery slopes. I could now see far beyond the valley as the view opened out more the higher I went. Further up and level with the col linking Grays with its neighbour Torreys. Not much air up here - ten steps - stop for a breather - not far now. I was fairly well acclimatised and had no ill effects but here at 14000 feet, my legs would only go at half normal speed.

There ahead were the two guys who'd started the hike with me just below the top which I reached only just after them. Hare and tortoise hey! Perhaps they were fitter than me but maybe not as used to the altitude as I'd thought.The summit of Grays Peak at 14270 feet or 4349m is the highest point on the Continental Divide or main ridge of the Rocky Mountains and the view is befitting for such a place. Beyond thefar off plains of South Park rose the even more distant lone summit of Pikes Peak. Moving round to the west, passing the long snowy line of peaks topped by Mt Elbert, the highest in

At 14270 feet Grays is the highest point of the Continental Divide

the Rockies at 4399m, Lake Dillon where I'd been staying for the past few days came in to view beyond the continuing divide ridge. To the North, lay great forests with the Indian Peaks heading up towards Rocky Mountain National Park while east of us and closer to hand was the Mt Evans range. We were surrounded by a sea of summits, all seemingly below. Only Torreys Peak seemed to approach our height, its snowy flanks leading the eye down to the valley where the Interstate crossed the Rockies at the Eisenhower Tunnel far below...

My last couple of days in Colorado saw me back at Idaho Springs where I'd started. The town was handy for my drive to Denver airport to fly home while still being surrounded by magnificent forest and mountain scenery. Just to the south of the town lies Mount Evans, one of the Rockies' highest peaks and home of the highest paved road in North America. Yes - even higher than Pikes Peak.

I'd driven part way up on the way back and had had an afternoon walk from the parking at the top of the Goliath Trail over open tundra to the summit of Rogers Peak at 13391 ft. It was a lonely summit of stones rising above the short tundra grass and was reached by a three mile round trip from the

Mt Evans in better weather seen from Rogers Peak

road. The weather was clear and views had extended far out across the plains towards Kansas as well as along the Front Range (the eastern rim of the Rockies) north towards Longs Peak in the National Park. Today though, the weather wasn't quite so promising with storms forecast for later and as I left town by highway 103, the Squaw Pass Road, I decided to alter plans to be off the mountain before the bad weather arrived. I'd planned to go to Echo Lake at 10600 ft and one of the nicest spots in the area to hike up the Chicago Lakes Trail to Summit Lake at 12800 feet before ascending the peak but after stopping at Echo Lake decided to head on. I'd drive to Summit Lake and go up from there. It is still a recognised ascent unlike driving to the top of the road and walking the last quarter mile to the summit which is cheating! It was a shame about the weather as Chicago Lakes looked a good route - it was a full day up and down though.

The realities of the weather setting out from Summit Lake

The mountain could be seen through the pines, partly obscured by cloud as I left the lake and the morning sun broke through higher up the road though huge clouds boiled up over the plains to the east. Well above the timberline at Summit Lake it was cold and breezy. That morning the summit temperature had been 10 Fahrenheit or minus 12 Celsius and that was less than 1500 feet above now.

Donning coat, hat and gloves I set off. The usual route goes nearly straight up the steep slope to the summit car park but huge snowdrifts by the roadside made this rather awkward so I followed the road itself up until just before the first bend where I set off up the steep mountainside to my right. Only one car had passed me on my walk up the road - a truck loaded with bikes. I managed however, to avoid walking on the road again as I made my way steadily upwards finding the going easier than expected - I must have been properly acclimatised by now. OK I wasn't about to sprint up the slope but at least I could keep a steady pace and not stop for a rest every 2 minutes.

The ruins of the observatory on Mt Evans

Mt Bierstadt – another fourteener - appeared level with me across a deep wild valley. The cloud continued to build ominously and the Sun had vanished behind a high grey layer but it remained fine on Mt Evans if chilly - the ground frozen iron hard by the wind. Crossing an area of shattered grey rocks and a small snowfield I presently arrived at the summit car park and walked past the ruined Summit Hotel - never rebuilt after a destructive fire - and the grey hump of the observatory. I remembered meeting this guy who'd had his wedding reception at this hotel when it was still open, only to have to reconvene back down in Idaho Springs when half of the guests passed out from altitude sickness!

The road is a feat of engineering but I'm not sure I like the idea of driving up to places like this. It must be awful on a busy day with traffic jams and crowds - exactly the things many of us come up to

The summit of Mt Evans at 14264 ft

avoid to say nothing of the danger of ascending quickly to 14000 feet. Today though there were no crowds, just the one truck and some very cold looking cyclists preparing for an even colder descent. Their driver informed me that I was the only one to climb Mt Evans that day.

Onwards up a shallow bank of snow on the far side of the car park and a stony trail led me in 5 or 10 minutes to the summit rocks. As I scrambled up a pair of eyes belonging to a brown furry face stared at me before vacating the highest rock and disappearing under another nearby. At 14264 feet I'd almost certainly just met America's Highest Marmot! The

It was time to go before the weather got any worse

approaching weather made the view dramatic if not distant and after taking a few photos I too left this cold and lofty place to the marmots and the rising wind...

If you missed part one it's right here