Trip Report - Mount of the Holy Cross (Rank: 52nd - Height 14,005) Date: 22 July 2001 Route Ascent Route: North Ridge From Halfmoon Trailhead Descent Route: Same Difficulty: Moderate (due to distance) " Class I/Class II Hike Elevation: Base: 10,320 Summit: 14,005 Elevation Gain: 4,655 including return upclimb to Halfmoon Pass Distance: From Halfmoon trailhead to Summit: 6.0 miles (est) Summit to Trailhead (6.0 miles (est)
Total Distance: 12 miles (est) Time:
Start 6:10 a.m.
Summit 11:15 a.m.
Finish 5:00 p.m.
Total Trip Time- 10 hours 50 minutes (including 45 minutes on the summit)
We drove from Colorado Springs, CO to the Halfmoon campground southwest of Minturn, Colorado on Saturday night. Left at 7:15 p.m., Saturday evening; returned to Colorado Springs at 10:20 p.m., Sunday night. The drive up the forest road to Halfmoon Trailhead was slow and rough- lots of washboard sections and potholes. We pulled off the road in a clearing and established camp at 11:15 p.m. I settled into the Suburban to sleep with the mutts and had a somewhat fitful rest until I awoke at 5:00 a.m. We drove the final mile to Halfmoon Trailhead and geared up. This climb is typically negotiated as a two-day backpack excursion, with a high camp at East Cross Creek, but we chose to complete the trip in one day. It makes for a long slog, but fit climbers with determination can accomplish it.
Trail:
We left the trailhead (10,320 feet) at 6:10 a.m. The weather was beautiful – very calm, already warm, and clear skies. A beautiful sunrise greeted us as we began our journey. The first leg of the hike is a 1.7-mile ascent along a Class I trail through mixed spruce, pine, and aspen forests to Halfmoon Pass, at 11,640 elevation.
A few hundred meters below the top of the saddle that makes up the pass, the forest gives way to sub-alpine meadows. We crested the saddle and rested for a moment or two, enjoying the sun as it rose over the mountains to the east. On the west side of the pass, the trail begins a gradual descent and we gained our first glimpse of Holy Cross approximately &Mac185; mile to the west. From the western slopes of Notch Mountain, which is where the trail traverses, one can clearly see the north approach to Holy Cross, which is on the other side of East Cross Creek. From Halfmoon Pass to East Cross Creek the trail descends 970 feet.
Crossing the creek to the south was unremarkable with rocks and logs firmly establishing a hasty crossing site. From East Cross Creek (10,670), the route distance is another 3 miles of uphill climb to the summit. After crossing the creek, we continued to hike along the trail through forests to approach the north ridge. The trail becomes steeper and is marked with numerous switchbacks as it gains elevation through the woods. Once at timberline, the trail gradually gives way to an unmarked route through heavy talus. At this point the route changes from Class I the Class II. There is no way to avoid the talus through much of the climb to approximately 12,500 feet.
Hikers may choose to approach the actual northwestern ridgeline and even in July there is a prominent snow cornice extant that can be used as an ascent route. We stuck to the talus, staying close to the cairns. These are rather large, but few and far between. The views from the northwestern ridge of the prominent summit of Holy Cross are impressive. Its stark north face is made up a series of cliff faces that seem un-climbable.
The Angelica Couloir to the right of the sheer walls of the north face still had snow in it, but we saw no climbers on that route. We finally reached the west ridge at 13,400 feet, and from that point the route becomes a challenging climb to the summit. We estimated the slope to be about 35-degree angle. The summit appears quickly and the highest point is an angular talus block that just clears 14,000 feet. The entire summit is relatively small, and one can carefully approach the eastern side of the summit and peer over the cliffs and chutes that make up the north face (to the left) and the Cross Couloir (to the right). The views looking down into The Bowl of Tears and Patricia Lake were inspiring.
The weather at the summit was outstanding. The temperatures were in the mid-70s, with absolutely no breeze, and it was a cloudless day. The high peaks of the Elk Mountains and the Collegiate Peaks could easily be seen. A crowd of about 15 other climbers greeted us at the summit. On our descent, instead of following the crest of the north ridge, we detoured through the middle of the talus field and kept a bearing on the trees that we had emerged from during our ascent. Once we tied into the trail at timberline, we returned to East Cross Creek in a rather unremarkable fashion. The day was hot and we stripped down to just T-shirts. After crossing to the north of East Cross Creek, we began to negotiate the switchbacks of the trail to regain the elevation to Halfmoon Pass. The hike presented us with a long but rewarding day.
Total hiking time- 10 hours 50 minutes (including 45 minutes on the summit) Temperature: 65 Degrees @ trailhead; 75 degrees at summit; great weather – bright and sunny Climbing Companions: Mark Blackley (neighbor); Winston; Milo (Sheepdogs)
Timothy P. Edinger
Director of Operations
Analytical Systems, Inc.
www.TeamASI.com <http://www.TeamASI.com>
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