|
On the bottom left is a view of the road at mile marker 4 towards Evans. We continued to make
good progress and traveled the long road to arrive where we set up camp on our previous attempt.
It was 10:00 a.m. at mile marker 8, and once again Evans was in our sight. There were a few spots where
drifts had covered the road completely and require careful traversing. On the bottom right, Mount
Evans seems so close, but yet so far away. Approximately 2 more miles remained, and we continued to
the high point in the road before it loses 200' in dropping to Summit Lake. It was beginning to get
rather warm, and my thermometer read 43 degrees. We completed the final mile to the base of the Northeast
Face and took a short break.
|
|
At 11:00 a.m. we began ascending the face up a series of snowfields and bare
spots. After 9 miles in, the ascent was arduous and time-consuming. Not being out
at elevation in several weeks was rearing its ugly head. On the bottom left is a view
up the Northeast Face from 13,200'. The terrain was more easily managed than I expected,
and although we were feeling spent, we steadily gained elevation. The 1,400 vertical feet from the
road took almost two hours. We found a trail near the final 200' to the parking lot
on top, and made our way to the summit switchbacks to arrive on top at 1:00 p.m. It was refreshing to be on the summit without
200 other people. Then our solitude ended when a NEWS4 helicopter circled the peak twice. I guess they were
filming the controlled burn to the East of us. This was Clay's first Fourteener in nearly ten years, and his first
winter Fourteener. We were both in good spirits until around three miles from the truck on the descent, when the day really
started to take its toll - 20 miles in winter has a way of doing that. We reached the Parking lot at 5:30 p.m. |
