Mt. of the Holy Cross
This was the first hike of the summer of 98. I should have done this as a two day backpack into East Cross Creek, but to save time, I decided to do it as a one day trip from the trailhead: BIG mistake. I had a friend from work along, Karen, who enjoys hiking and climbing as well. This was to be her first fourteener, but judging by our fitness, neither of us should have a problem reaching the summit. The day was overcast and fairly cool, but we went ahead with the climb anyway. The first 1.7 miles involves the climbing of Halfmoon Pass, which is fairly simple to get up. From here you must decend 970 feet to East Cross Creek, then begin the final 3 miles of uphill climb to the summit, and what a 3 miles it is. It starts out as a simple climb through the wooded forest, then the trail reaches treeline and the trail disappears and you must rely on the cairns to find your way, and these are few and far between. Once the trees fade, the route turns into boulder hopping and never lets up. One after the other, each seeming bigger than the last, you finally reach the west ridge at 13,400 feet. From here it is a sporty climb to the summit, yet it is probably a 35 degree angle. The summit appears quickly and the highest point is an angular talus block that just clears 14,000 feet. It was still foggy, and the view was really dismal. For a brief moment the skies opened up (don't they always?) and we were able to see the lakes below. The fog hung around for the entire time we were on the summit, never allowing us to see the whole view. We decided to start down and get the day over with already having spent more time than we thought we should have climbing up. If I can issue one sentence of warning to anyone climbing Holy Cross, pay attention to where the trail ends! We had one heck of a time finding the trail again, and still thought it was the wrong one. Make sure it is the right trail, as another lurks nearby and will put you in the wrong drainage. We finally made it back to the creek and still had to ascend Half Moon Pass again. At the days end, this additional 970 feet of vertical is tough, making the day seem to drag. Once to the top it was a quick 1.7 miles back to the car and a ride home. What a day!!
Along with me on the climb: Karen
Total Round Trip Time: 10.5 hours