Mountain Goats of Mt. Evans

The star of any trip up Mt. Evans. One of the resident Mountain Goats.

In mid July I took a group of folks up Mt. Evans. We hiked the Pesman Trail, listened to a lecture on the ancient Bristlecone Pines, and then drove up to the summit. This road requires an intravenous injection of Valium before beginning.

The summit parking lot. The Boulder field was filled with tourists climbing the whopping 100 ft from the pavement to the summit. Being purists who like our mountain climbing bragging rights, we did not lower ourselves to such a feat of athletic prowess. The cars by the way stretched for a good 1/4 mile on both sides down to the left.

Mt. Evans is one of Colorado's 14,000+ ft peaks (a 14er). It is also one of two in the state you can drive up. This is totally cheating, but a fun excursion none-the-less. There is no trail register at the top so don't both looking for one. There is, however, a small shelter and hordes of tourists. There are also many Mountain Goats and Big Horned Sheep. I will blog the latter in a separate post.

Here are some photos of the "don't hate me because I'm beautiful" Mountain Goats.

This goat was in need of a Hollywood makeover. He/she/it was shedding its winter coat. Not exactly a red carpet moment. Still, it had panache and liked to pose for the 200 lens flashing all around. Actually, I exaggerate. There were only two of us taking pictures of the goats. The goats did not seem to notice the difference however.

This celeb was already done shedding and looked like it had just returned from a posh salon. Nothing like a new 'do to make you feel like a mountain diva.

Like any member of the rich and famous, this goat wanted to survey his domain. "I wonder what all the very little people are doing down there at the bottom of that 3,000 ft drop. Ho Hum."

Not to be out done, this B-actor was posing for us on the way down. Yellow-bellied Marmots are known for their hedonistic lounging upon warm rocks.

A scenic drive up Mt. Evans is a jolly, near death experience with stupendous views. Be prepared to pay the fee or buy an annual Federal Parks Pass. Bring your camera, anticipate changing weather, and stock the car with lots of food and water. There is no pub on this journey. Another nice place to stop on the way to the summit is Summit Lake. A short trail leads to great views of the Chicago Lakes Basin. For more information, check out the Forest Service Web site.