[Grad-postdoc-assn] update on Mt. Evans

[Simona Bordoni]

Dear all,

please find attached an update on the trip to Mt. Evans scheduled for  
this incoming Saturday!
The plan is still on, so if you want to go, please make sure to send  
an email to Jacob (fugal at ucar.edu) by Wednesday.
Thanks
The Social Committee

=========================
Hello all,

Despite the snow last weekend, we are still planning on driving up to  
Mt. Evans, although we might have to alter hike plans for safety. The  
snow from last weekend did close the last 4 miles of the road from  
Summit Lake to the terminal parking lot. The road should be open this  
afternoon but for sure by this weekend if the weather forecast of  
warmer and sunny holds up. If you plan to come, please RSVP soon. We  
do have a few seats left if you need a ride. Take care.

Jacob Fugal
fugal at ucar.edu
303-497-1024

=========================
What: Mt. Evans drive, picnic and hike. Mt. Evans is the highest  
paved road in the U.S. It ascends to 14,130 feet (4307 meters) at the  
terminal parking lot. It's 70 miles or 2.5 hours drive from the  
Foothills lab and at least a 8000 foot elevation change. The drive in  
the mountains is breathtaking. At the top there is a couple short you  
can do including hiking to the top of Mt. Evans (14,264 feet  
elevation)--about 1/4 mile walk. You can also walk the ridgeline path  
down to Summit lake below (12,500 feet elevation)--about a 2 hour  
hike. Picnic afterwards at Echo Lake picnic area. More information  
about Mt. Evans is available at: <http://www.mountevans.com/>. It's  
the most accessible way to experience a Colorado 14,000 foot peak.

When: Saturday, August 23, 2008. Meet at Foothills Lab, 7am. Carpool  
to Mt. Evans. Maps will be provided. (ASP will pay for vehicle  
entrance fees.) Meet at Mt. Evans terminus around 9:30 to 10:00am.  
Look around and hike. For those going down ridgeline hike leave  
before 10:30am. Pick up ridgeline hikers at Summit Lake at 12:30pm  
and head down for picnic at Echo Lake by 1:00pm. 2:00pm leave for  
Foothills/home.

Where: Mt. Evans, Summit Lake and Echo Lake. Drive west on I-70 to  
Idaho Springs. Take SR 103 South to Echo Lake, and SR 5 West to Mt.  
Evans peak. See link: <http://maps.google.com/maps? 
f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=idaho+springs,+co+to+mt.+evans, 
+co&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=41.903538,68.730469&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=11>

What to prepare for: The Clear Creek Ranger Station gave the  
following advice about this trip:
* There is an entrance fee of $10.00 per passenger vehicle good for 3  
consecutive days.
* They said to arrive early in the day to avoid heavy cloud cover and  
lightening that comes on summer afternoons.
* They said to make sure you bring clothing and jackets and hats to  
be prepared for quick changes in the weather. Storms begin and grow  
quickly in this exposed area.
* They said to make sure everyone on the trip is hydrated to the  
point they pee clear and pee often. And you need to be hydrated  
*before* you go up there. High-altitude sickness is dehydration  
brought on by how fast you lose fluid at high altitudes through your  
skin and respiration.
* To put things in perspective, pilots in commercial planes are  
required to have oxygen or be in a pressurized cabin above 12000  
feet. The parking lot at the end of the trip is 14,130 feet with the  
peak of 14,264 feet being another 1/4 mile walk up from there.
* There are pit toilets, but no water or picnic tables at the  
terminal parking lot or by Summit lake below. The closest water  
source and picnic tables are down at Echo Lake by the entrance  
station. Echo Lake is below the tree line.
* The summit road is open from about Memorial Day to Labor Day.
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