The 55 minute mountain

Sunday, September 3rd

Went up to the Mt. Evans area and climbed Mt. Spalding (A centennial peak) from Summit Lake. Summit Lake is at 12,850ft, and Mt. Spalding is 13,842, which makes the climb just under 1000 feet of elevation gain. It was cold and windy when I started - but very clear, not a cloud in the sky. My goal was to summit in 30 minutes or less, and I just barely missed this, making the summit in 30:54. I jogged a bit on the way down, to make sure I did it in under an hour, and did the return trip in 24:00, for a total time of 54:54 - just under 55 minutes! Total house-to-house time was 3:45 - only in Colorado!!

The Mt. Evans road leaves a little something to be desired. It's the type of road that as a kid would have me screaming "Dad, you're too close to the edge, I can't see the white line! Dad - you're too close!!!". Of course, there is no white line, and in some places there are visible chunks of the road that are falling off. They must have to do a lot of work on this road, and I really wonder if it's economically feasible in the long run. Of course, I'm sure the $10/car doesn't hurt the bottom line.