Monday, we drove to Mt. Evans which is touted as America's highest paved automobile road. We began our drive from Dillon which is at 9000 ft. and ended at the parking lot at Mt. Evans, elevation 14,130 ft. We parked the car and hiked the remaining 134 feet to the summit, elevation....14, 264 ft.
It was really cold and windy, when we first got there. We bundled up with every piece of clothes that we had in the car. I had on a tank top, a thin jacket and a sweat shirt. I wore a pair of shorts up there, but thank goodness I brought a pair of exercise leggings along. By the time we got to the top, it had warmed up a lot.
We started the 134 ft. climb. It was slow going because of the thin air and rise in elevation. Sawyer got really tired, about half way up. Cliff gave him and Lidia half a gel each and that gave them enough energy to finish the climb. I had a little trouble breathing and got dizzy at the top. But as I rested, both of these issues disappeared. Or maybe I wasn't aware of them because I was in awe of my surroundings. The views were unreal!
The summit was very rocky, which pleased Sawyer to no end. He and Lidia were climbing all over the rocks. We borrowed someone's Mt. Evans 14'er sign to have our picture made. I had packed a picnic lunch for us and we found a good spot to sit and enjoy lunch on top of the world.
We spotted several animals at Mt. Evans, including Marmots, Pika and Mountain Goats. Again, we saw so many wildflowers. One in particular that was most interesting was the Alpine Sunflower. I heard that this flower could take 30-50 years to grow and once they bloom, that was it. And, the sunflower almost always faces the rising sun. I loved that!
We hung around the summit for a good half hour and then headed back home. On the way back down Mt. Evans, we stopped at Summit Lake - elevation 12,830 ft. Just east of the lake is Summit Lake Flats, which I'm told is the site of a glacier. Of course, being summer, there wasn't much of a glacier there. There was a little ice in patches, though.
Total Miles Hiked: 0.74 Elevation gain: 134 feet
Amount of oxygen at 14,264 ft.: Not nearly enough, haha!
Later, Lidia's swim: 30 laps
Later, Lidia's swim: 30 laps
The following pictures shows you what it looks like on top of the world.
Mt. Evans - Elevation of 14,264 feet
This was Lidia, Sawyer's and my first 14'er. Cliff has been before.
Marmot and Mountain Goat
Mountain Goats
Alpine Sunflower
These pretty flowers were on the hike to the summit of Mt. Evans.
Summit Lake - Elevation 12,830 feet
Wildflowers at Summit Lake
American Bistort and Parry's Clover
As you can see, there were so many different views to behold. I tried to capture a little of everything without becoming redundant. But everywhere you turned, the amazing scenery was begging to have it's picture taken.
There will be many more hikes to come,
Laurie
