Mt. Harvard Trip Report 09/26/2022

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Mt. Harvard - 14,424 feet Mt. Columbia - 14,075 feet
Date Posted	09/26/2022
Date Climbed	09/25/2022
Author	JaLoh

Harvard & Columbia - No Joke
The information regarding Harvard and Columbia on 14ers.com is accurate. The trails are long, route-finding a chore, and the traverse is no joke. I'm in decent shape (not my best 14ers shape) and have done several 14ers this season, but this trip left me exhausted. If you are like me and have more than ample hiking experience with completing 20+ 14ers, it's sometimes easy to unintentionally gloss over some of the hiking information, instructions, and cautions. As with this hike: starting early, having enough water and fuel, studying the route, and ensuring you have route-finding experience are paramount! Trip - Started at 5:30 am (32 F), back at TH at 5:30 pm. Sunny, clear. Little wind at the start. Windy (20-25 MPH) and cold on both summits (low 40's). My takeaways: Harvard - Though I started in the dark and the trail to the base of Harvard was long, it was easy to follow. Made it to the base of Harvard as the sun was coming up over the mountain ridge. The trail to the summit is in good condition with only a couple of spots where I lost the trail. The elevation gain and the remaining distance to the summit made it harder than I had anticipated. I met a few people at the summit (younger and in better shape than me!), and they said the same thing. My body was feeling it a bit, but I felt good and decided to head over to Columbia via the Traverse. Traverse to Columbia - I met another hiker and we decided to partner up to hike the traverse. Between both of us, we had access to downloaded photos and printed instructions for the Traverse which we found useful for the initial descent, but arriving at the midway point at the lower boulder field of Columbia, we found it difficult to know if we arrived at the best place to ascend even though we were close to the route suggestion for the Traverse. From there, we did our best at route finding to make our way to the ridge midway up. Though we both had a good deal of experience in route-finding, we found it difficult, taking us about an hour longer than expected on this section of Columbia. Once to the ridge, we ventured up to the saddle to begin the ascent up the ridge to the summit. There were sections where a trail was visible but we had to remain in rout-finding mode. Finding the best route for the last 200 feet to the summit felt a lot like the boulder field - harder than expected (see photo). At this point, I was truly exhausted. From my perspective, the extent of route-finding and retaking the elevation lost was more grueling than I had anticipated. Columbia Descent - As we headed down Columbia, we cordially split up. I needed to take it a bit slower as my body was feeling it. My knees were hurting, and using my poles was a huge help. The first third of the trail was typical, but the second third was steep, mostly dirt and loose rock, and very slippery. I attribute some of this to my exhaustion, but the trail is not ideal in this section. (I did meet one person who had ascended Columbia first, but having experienced this section of the trail and knowing how long and what the full hike would entail, I would not suggest ascending Columbia first.) The lower third had been well groomed and was a nice change. That said, the lower section of the trail takes you back towards Harvard, making your way back to the TH a bit longer. At this point, I had gone through 6 liters of water and was about out. (Ok, I may just be a heavy drinker!) Beautiful Hike - Overall, the experience was amazing. I encountered a young bull moose and took a lot of photos of the spectacular scenery, forests, streams, and views of adjacent mountains. It didn't disappoint! As always, I met a number of friendly, helpful, passionate hikers which makes a journey like this even more enjoyable. Encouragements: Read and understand the guidance given for the Traverse. Be prepared for a long day, and ensure you have good weather to complete the full hike if you venture to do both in one day. Listen to your body, and don't let the excitement of bagging a 14er push you harder than you're ready for. Happy hiking! Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Harvard & Columbia - No Joke

The information regarding Harvard and Columbia on 14ers.com is accurate. The trails are long, route-finding a chore, and the traverse is no joke.

I'm in decent shape (not my best 14ers shape) and have done several 14ers this season, but this trip left me exhausted. If you are like me and have more than ample hiking experience with completing 20+ 14ers, it's sometimes easy to unintentionally gloss over some of the hiking information, instructions, and cautions. As with this hike: starting early, having enough water and fuel, studying the route, and ensuring you have route-finding experience are paramount!

Trip - Started at 5:30 am (32 F), back at TH at 5:30 pm. Sunny, clear. Little wind at the start. Windy (20-25 MPH) and cold on both summits (low 40's).

My takeaways:

Harvard - Though I started in the dark and the trail to the base of Harvard was long, it was easy to follow. Made it to the base of Harvard as the sun was coming up over the mountain ridge. The trail to the summit is in good condition with only a couple of spots where I lost the trail. The elevation gain and the remaining distance to the summit made it harder than I had anticipated. I met a few people at the summit (younger and in better shape than me!), and they said the same thing. My body was feeling it a bit, but I felt good and decided to head over to Columbia via the Traverse.
Traverse to Columbia - I met another hiker and we decided to partner up to hike the traverse. Between both of us, we had access to downloaded photos and printed instructions for the Traverse which we found useful for the initial descent, but arriving at the midway point at the lower boulder field of Columbia, we found it difficult to know if we arrived at the best place to ascend even though we were close to the route suggestion for the Traverse. From there, we did our best at route finding to make our way to the ridge midway up. Though we both had a good deal of experience in route-finding, we found it difficult, taking us about an hour longer than expected on this section of Columbia. Once to the ridge, we ventured up to the saddle to begin the ascent up the ridge to the summit. There were sections where a trail was visible but we had to remain in rout-finding mode. Finding the best route for the last 200 feet to the summit felt a lot like the boulder field - harder than expected (see photo). At this point, I was truly exhausted. From my perspective, the extent of route-finding and retaking the elevation lost was more grueling than I had anticipated.
Columbia Descent - As we headed down Columbia, we cordially split up. I needed to take it a bit slower as my body was feeling it. My knees were hurting, and using my poles was a huge help. The first third of the trail was typical, but the second third was steep, mostly dirt and loose rock, and very slippery. I attribute some of this to my exhaustion, but the trail is not ideal in this section. (I did meet one person who had ascended Columbia first, but having experienced this section of the trail and knowing how long and what the full hike would entail, I would not suggest ascending Columbia first.) The lower third had been well groomed and was a nice change. That said, the lower section of the trail takes you back towards Harvard, making your way back to the TH a bit longer. At this point, I had gone through 6 liters of water and was about out. (Ok, I may just be a heavy drinker!)
Beautiful Hike - Overall, the experience was amazing. I encountered a young bull moose and took a lot of photos of the spectacular scenery, forests, streams, and views of adjacent mountains. It didn't disappoint! As always, I met a number of friendly, helpful, passionate hikers which makes a journey like this even more enjoyable.

Encouragements: Read and understand the guidance given for the Traverse. Be prepared for a long day, and ensure you have good weather to complete the full hike if you venture to do both in one day. Listen to your body, and don't let the excitement of bagging a 14er push you harder than you're ready for. Happy hiking!

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

The_Ramp	Nice job! 9/26/2022 1:06pm The traverse is definitely no joke. Congrats on a very underrated and difficult route, and you did it from the TH to boot! Sounds like an epic day. One comment: I know you state that doing Columbia first is not recommended, but after having done it that way a few years ago, I respectfully disagree. I wrote a TR about it with some beta from another TR that was an excellent guide for tackling C -> H - see link below. Ascending C via the standard route is actually not bad, even the last part after the CFI-improved trail stretch, and you're doing it on fresh legs. And while the traverse still takes a long time (took me 3.5 hours peak to peak) and parts of it, especially the talus field, are a real grind, you get the difficult stretches done early (including that traverse-to-C stretch that you indicate was very exhausting). And the route-finding is maybe a little easier going C -> H, notably as ascending up H from the traverse is a little more straight-forward and mellow (and fun!) than going up C from the same traverse low point, especially on tired legs. Columbia -> Harvard Traverse Anyway - food for thought as well as consideration for other climbers coming here for beta. Congrats again!
JaLoh	Great perspective... 9/26/2022 1:39pm Hey Ramp! Thanks for the response. I may not fully disagree with you here: with fresh legs the ascent to Columbia may not be as grueling, getting the hard parts done early. Come to think of it, looking down on the route-finding from atop of Columbia: you may not be wrong to find your way down it easier than coming up. Great perspective! Thanks for your encouragement! Onwards and upward!

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