Unicycle ascent/descent of Mt. Evans - 14,264 feet

Pictures and trip report he
http://www.gb4mfg.com/mtn/Evans_8-4-04.html

This TR is part of a 'new website' (http://www.gb4mfg.com/mtn/) that is
very much a work in progress. Any suggestions are welcome.

Here's the plain text version of the TR (boring!):


Mt. Evans - 14,264 ft

Date: 8-4-2004
Riders: George Barnes (solo - unicycle ascent/descent)
Route: Mt. Evans Road II, Class 1
RT distance: 29.2 miles
RT time: 6 hours
Time to summit: 3 hours 30 minutes
Time on summit: 20 minutes
Time to trailhead: 2 hours 10 minutes
Elevation gain: 3,700 feet
Coordinates of TH: 39° 39.61'N, 105° 36.27'W
Coordinates of summit: 39° 35.32'N, 105° 38.60'W
USGS Quadrangles: Idaho Springs, Harris Park, Mount Evans

*Trip Report:*

Pre-ride:

The night before the ride I was thinking that I needed to do
something that would prepare me for a climb of Long's Peak the coming
weekend, as well as an epic 36" unicycle ride with Aspen Mike next week
over Boreas and Hoosier Passes. I decided that a unicycle ride up Mt.
Evans would do both - if it didn't kill me.

Ride:

I left Denver at 7 AM, a little later than planned, but still not
bad. After fighting morning traffic and stopping for gas in Idaho
Springs I make it to the Echo Lake trailhead (10,600 feet) by 8:20 AM.
I unload my unicycle, slap on some sunscreen, and head for the fee
station. I received the usual suspicious looks from the ranger as I
paid my $3 fee and head up the road just before 8:30 AM.

The road was largely free of traffic at this hour - apparently
vacationers don't like to get out of bed early. I made decent time up
the road, averaging around 9 mph. I have Chris LeDoux "Sons of the
Pioneers" stuck in my head, and will for most of the ride. Perhaps it's
time for some new CDs in the car's CD-changer. When I reached the road
above Lincoln Lake I stop for a breather and snap a few photos. I'm at
over 12,000 feet now and I can tell it. Unicycling over 12,000 feet is
harder than hiking at 14,000!

I soon decided sitting on the roadside was a bad idea as 3 different
people stopped and asked if I was ok. I'm riding a unicycle up a 14,000
foot mountain, of course I'm OK (just a little crazy).

After a few more switchbacks and a lot of sucking wind, I reach
Summit Lake (12,830 feet) at around 10:30 AM. I head down to the water
to enjoy a now powdered pop-tart (grumble) and snap some more pictures.
I answer the usual questions as I make my way to the kybos. "Yes, it's
a unicycle." "Yes, I'm going all the way." "Yes, I'm crazy." "No, I'm
not riding across the country (huh?!)."

The going gets tough after Summit Lake, and I'm wheezing like a
leaky dirigible by 13,000 feet. Thankfully some goats have occupied the
side of the road and I have a legitimate excuse to stop. Upon closer
inspection, I note that there are about 20 goats, some with ridiculously
cute babies.

I reach the summit parking lot at around noon, and hike to the top
for a summit photo. I've averaged a little over 4 mph including some
lengthy stops, and I'm not terribly proud of it. I feel out of place
with a helmet and gloves in the parking lot teeming with tourists in
sandals and "Colorado" sweatshirts. There's something to be said for
climbing peaks where at most you see a few other people at the summit.
I decide it's time to gear up and head down. Clouds are occasionally
blocking the sun and the wind has picked up so I don a rain jacket.

I've become something of a celebrity by now, and every car that
passes slows to take my picture. A few people are nice enough to take
my email address so they can send me the pictures. I once again reach
the goats, who have moved to a slightly different location. I'm still a
sucker for baby goats, so I snap some more pictures.

After rounding the last corner before Lincoln Lake I stop again for
a "circulation break" and note that the clouds aren't looking stellar to
the west. I forgot my Chamois Butter in Denver and I'm paying for it
now. Spurred on by dark clouds I saddle up once again despite the
discomfort.

I decide I had better get some pictures of Lincoln Lake for the TR,
so I stop again while keeping a wary eye on the clouds. I get back in
the saddle anxious to reach tree line at ~11,500 feet.

After a few more quick stops I once again reach the ranger's fee
station. I ponder "natural selection" as I see people still heading up
on bikes. I reach the car by 2:30 PM and it begins to sprinkle just as
I load my unicycle. I feel a bit tired, but in general pretty good. I
realize that I forgot to apply sunscreen to my legs, and have some nice
red calves to show for it. After an uneventful run down I-70 I make it
back to Denver just in time for "stop and go fun time on I-25". The
clouds over Denver are looking threatening and I see a handful of
lightning strikes to the west.

[image:
http://www.gb4mfg.com/mtn/trip_repor...04_121021.jpg]


--
gbarnes - www.gb4mfg.com

George C. Barnes IV
GB4 Manufacturing, L.L.C.
http://www.gb4mfg.com/
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Nice ride report, George! Another 14er bits the dust!

Ooooh yes those baby goats (kids?) are very cute! Right up there with
the pika.

What's the idea with the bar-ends on the rear of your saddle? Are they
there to hold on to or to protect the cover?




+0|\|y


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Nice ride report, George! Another 14er bits the dust!

Ooooh yes those baby goats (kids?) are very cute! Right up there with
the pika.

What's the idea with the bar-ends on the rear of your saddle? Are they
there to hold on to or to protect the cover?




+0|\|y


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The bar ends are a semi-successful way for me to take some weight off my
seat on the go. They work fine on flat ground, but it's a little dicey
to have a hand back there on steep ups and downs.


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gbarnes - www.gb4mfg.com

George C. Barnes IV
GB4 Manufacturing, L.L.C.
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It is unclear to me if the ride was entirely paved or if there was an
off-road portion.

-mg


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The road was all paved with pretty good asphalt, except for the short
hike to the summit from the summit parking lot.


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gbarnes - www.gb4mfg.com

George C. Barnes IV
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It looks like you put some long cranks on for that climb. Are they
170's or bigger?

Any idea on the percent grade for the climb?

I'm going to look around for some nice climbs to do on the Coker. Maybe
Mount Constitution on Orcas Island or Hurricane Ridge, or I could head
out of state to find a good climb. Teton pass in Wyoming would be nice,
but it's a long drive to get there.


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If my math is right, I get an average grade of about 5%.

3700/(14.6*5280) x 100% = 4.8% grade

Anybody want to verify that this is correct?


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George C. Barnes IV
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gbarnes wrote:
*If my math is right, I get an average grade of about 5%.

3700/(14.6*5280) x 100% = 4.8% grade

Anybody want to verify that this is correct? *

That's correct for the average grade. But climbs usually don't keep the
same grade for 14.6 miles. There will be sections that are less steep
and then sections that are more steep. The hard parts of the climb
likely were more than 4.8%.


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john_childs wrote:
*
The hard parts of the climb likely were more than 4.8%. *



That's no kidding. I was wishing for more than the 170s I had. I was
thinking that a 29er with 150-170s would have been nice for the last 5
miles.

From what I could find on the net, parts of the road are up to 15%
sustained grade. I would say that most of the climbs are 10% or less,
though.


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gbarnes - www.gb4mfg.com

George C. Barnes IV
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