Introduction Me and my Dad and Uncle decided to do Mount Bierstadt on September 29, 2007 and have some fun hiking this mountain. I looked at the forcast and saw that there would be snow in the mountains at 7 o'clock in the evening and winds up to 35 mph. I knew probably that there would be some winds and kind of sunny out because the clouds as they said would not role in for a while. But I knew it would be a little cold up there so I brought most of my winter gear just in case some snow or something hits us. Boy was I happy for making that descision.
I left my house at 6 and went up to Mount Bierstadt to get ready to climb it and I hoped it was cold. I am really tired of the Hot sun in my face all the time. That is why I like winter. I was so excited for the climb that I forgot to eat breakfast and I just knew that would hurt me on the climb. The Climb We got up to Bierstadt and saw that there were many clouds hiding the summit. I got out and instantly felt the cold. It must of been 20 degrees. I put on my coat and all the rest of the gear and all three of us started at about 8. We were going up the West slopes which is a very crowded route and the main used one to the summit.
We were about half way up when the wind was hitting us with a force of about 25-30 mph. It was not that bad but it was truly a workout going against the wind. We kept going up and got into the clouds and they were fairly thick clouds with not much visibility. We got to the saddle and the wind was not as bad but the tempature was slowly dipping to about 5-10 degrees. And my stomach was very empty with no food. It was feeling upset and I kind of felt like throwing up.
Summit!!! at last. My Dad came after me and slipped on a rock that had ice on it and cut his knee and swelled up. He was hurting alot. And then came my Uncle happy and cold at the same time. We got to the top and all of sudden the clouds spreaded and I hurried up to get my summit picture and right when I got done with it the clouds closed in. The wind was now picking up to about 35 mph and it was cold! My Camelback was frozen. Luckily I brought spare water. I put on My head protection and headed down after eating a "brief" lunch. Which helped me alot with energy. And my Dad struggled to get down.The Snowstorm We got a third of the way down and the snow started coming down slowly and then it started coming down heavy in a matter of seconds. The wind was getting ever so stronger almost puching me down many times. It was about 50mph winds or more and snow/hail whipping and hitting your face. It stung but I smiled and laughed about it and was having a good time. It was about -10 or more with the wind chill and I was warm and cozy with my coat on. My gloves were not working and my fingers were numb but luckily I didnt get frostnipped. We came down and took some photos and videos with the awesome weather! We got down to the car and headed home and I knew for now on to never underestimate the weather. Or the mountain for that fact. An amazing trip I say.
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Front Range (CO)
