Mt. Evans holds the highest paved road in North America, all the way
to the summit...instead, we hiked it...cause we're just that dumb!
Lisa, myself, and Lisa's father, Tom Dunn, all trekked up the back side
of Mt. Evans on July 10th. We started from the top of Guanella Pass,
which is the same location that the Mt. Bierstadt trail starts from
(which I've done twice now, once
in an attempt to also do Mt. Evans, but was foiled due to
weather and once with the old
group I worked with).
Anyway, the trail we chose was a challenge, as we had to force
ourselves through about 2.5 miles of dense willows (trust me, it's
worse than it sounds). We then ascended a steep, rocky gully, to the
saddle between Mt. Evans and Mt. Spaulding. From there, Tom decided
not to press on, and Lisa headed up to the summit. When we arrived, it
was not surprising to see about 50 tourists on top, all who drove up.
Lisa and savored the view, as we'd truly earned it this time (we'd both
driven up many times before).