Old Man Bull

Date:  August 17, 2013 Climbing Party:  Amanda Harnden For those of you who are curious about a Sawtooth Ridge / Kelso Ridge tale of the tape, you are in luck!  I will try to compare both routes in this post, and let you go from there. Torreys > Grays via Kelso R/T Mileage: ~7.5 miles Total Elevation Gain:  3,740 Bierstadt > Spaulding via Sawtooth R/T Mileage: ~8 miles Estimated Total Elevation Gain: 3,262' Trailheads/Access Both trailheads are easily accessed off I-70.  The Grays Peak trailhead is found at the top of a dirt road. If you are late to the show, you will end up parking quite a ways down this dirt road which will add significant distance and elevation to your hike.  It pays to wake up early and get a coveted spot at the top.  Also, turning around on this dirt road looks like it could be challenging at the end of the day! Advantage:  Sawtooth The Approach The 1.75 mile approach to the Kelso Ridge trail th...

Date:   July 20, 2013 Climbing Party:   Sabrina Langer, Martin Barnett, Katie Moser, Nathan Hankins, Zach Taylor, Rich Ostrosky, Chris Pierce, Becca Frager R/T Mileage: ~8 miles  Estimated Total Elevation Gain : 3,262’ Mt. Bierstadt is one of the most popular 14ers in the Front Range. It’s close proximity to Denver and paved access to the trailhead makes it a very attractive option for folks looking to get up high. Let me say this again…Bierstadt is a VERY popular 14er. Our group of 9 left the trailhead at 5:00 AM, and the parking lot was already nearly full. Lines of hikers could be seen going up the mountain ahead of us, and queuing up behind us. We were off, and summited Bierstadt just before 8:00 AM. On the way up Bierstadt From the summit of Bierstadt, we began the traverse of the Sawtooth Ridge. Picking our way down to the low point of the saddle was a lot of fun. This ridge traverse is mostly class 3 scrambling, requiring the standar...

To get there:  If you are familiar with how close Red Rocks is to Denver, then you know how close this is!  Just head to the Red Rocks Amphitheater entrance #4 which is located a few hundred feet west of the intersection of CO74 and CO8 (on CO74), and you will see what looks like a game trail on your left, and room for about 4-5 cars on your right.  That game trail looking path is what you're after.  It's not marked, but tis the only obvious trail you will see. Mt. Morrison - A beastly front range hike!  Red Rocks Amphitheater below Mt. Morrison is located in the small town of Morrison, Colorado, and served as the last hike I did before my surgery.  I figured it might be a good test, kind of a then and now snapshot of where I was physically then, and what direction things are going.  The trail we did must have originated as erosion, as it more or less leads you directly up to the summit ridge.  It's steep, and filled with what my father call...