Day Trip up Mount Evans

[upcruiser]

Alex and I took a quick trip up Mount Evans yesterday after hearing that the road was open for the season. I was pretty pumped up since neither of us had ever been up there before. We live at 7,500 feet and it was a beautiful 80 degree day at our house. From our house it was a 35 mile almost entirely uphill drive to the summit where it was a cool 32 degrees with a 9 degree windchill at 14,150 feet. This also is my new personal altitude record driving, I think previously it was just over 13,000 on Imogene Pass, with a close second to a section of the Atacama Desert where we had driven up near 13,000 near the Bolivian border. There were quite a number of folks up there and a surprising number of bikers making the climb from Denver. Pretty impressive!

The road cutting across Goliath Mountain

Approaching Summit Lake

 

[upcruiser]

A short hike from the parking area on top gets you the summit at 14,258 feet.

Self portrait with Summit Lake below

View from the summit

Looking southwest across towards the Collegiate range.

Looking east towards Denver with the observatory in the foreground.

Looking north towards Summit Lake, Long's Peak visible in the top right.

Greys and Torrey's peaks visible in the top right.

Who wants to go back up and ski some of the remaining snowfields??

 

[Mamontof]

Wow look like not to many in that time of year in highest road of USA

Thank for a photos

 

[Pskhaat]

Open ALREADY? Look forward to a drive up there in a couple weeks. The Mt. Evans wilderness area is some of my favorite for close-yet-remote backpacking and camping. There is so much to explore in that area.

When you heading back to the Midwest?

Who wants to go back up and ski some of the remaining snowfields??

You got some rock skis I can borrow? I'll bring my boots, poles and goggles, I'm game

 

[deadbeat son]

I can't believe I've lived in this area since 1996 and have never driven the Mt Evans highway. It's definitely on my to-do list for the near future; great photos!

By the way Kristian, I read many of your trip reports from the UP. My winter was pretty hectic, and I didn't check in to ExPo much; I hadn't noticed you had moved to CO; welcome!

 

[stolenheron]

disco looks clean as a whistle up there.

you painted your hood all black? any reason why vs the typical black out center?

 

[upcruiser]

Open ALREADY? Look forward to a drive up there in a couple weeks. The Mt. Evans wilderness area is some of my favorite for close-yet-remote backpacking and camping. There is so much to explore in that area.

When you heading back to the Midwest?

You got some rock skis I can borrow? I'll bring my boots, poles and goggles, I'm game

I am rolling back to Marquette around June 7th or 8th as it stands right now. Will you be here prior to that? I have some extra rocks skis kicking around, maybe some Volkl Super Sport Allstars?

 

[upcruiser]

I can't believe I've lived in this area since 1996 and have never driven the Mt Evans highway. It's definitely on my to-do list for the near future; great photos!

By the way Kristian, I read many of your trip reports from the UP. My winter was pretty hectic, and I didn't check in to ExPo much; I hadn't noticed you had moved to CO; welcome!

Thanks! Yeah, moved out here last October but am heading back to the UP for the summer. It's been fun here so far for sure. Any luck on your RR sale?

 

[upcruiser]

disco looks clean as a whistle up there.

you painted your hood all black? any reason why vs the typical black out center?

Thanks, the previous owner had done the traditional hood black out previously but had not prepped the surface well and it was all peeling off. In addition the hood and the roof were cooked from the sun up here in CO so it was in bad shape outside of the blacked out area anyway. After a Moab trip last fall, some red, muddy water splashes on the hood wouldn't come out from the oxidized paint. I did a quick sand and just rolled the whole hood to cover it up temporarly. It didn't turn out that great anyway and I am planning on refinishing the entire hood this summer, unless I come across a super cheap matching colored hood somewhere. The truck is generally straight all around but the paint isn't all that great which is fine because it just makes it easier to use and not be afraid of pinstriping, etc.

 

[jeepmedic46]

Those pictueres are beautiful, Thank you for sharing.

 

[JCMatthews]

Great trip and pics, I'm jealous.:drool:

 

[BigAl]

very cool:Wow1: Is Mt Evans in Colorado?

 

[Pskhaat]

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...65,-105.642643&spn=0.072165,0.068922&t=p&z=14

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

Great photos!

I WILL go that way on our next trip West.

Just a small warning for your travels eastward ... It's already plenty humid in Iowa

 

[deadbeat son]

Thanks! Yeah, moved out here last October but am heading back to the UP for the summer. It's been fun here so far for sure. Any luck on your RR sale?

No luck on the RR sale; I've been coresponding with someone via CL who seems pretty interested and apparently knows Rovers pretty well. He may come take a look at it this week.

Enjoy the trip back to the UP for the summer! My wife spent her frosh yr of college in Marquette, but she finished at Western. I'd like to get up to see that area sometime.