Excellent, nearly summer conditions trip up Harvard, across the traverse to Columbia and back to Horn Fork Basin. We'd considered doing this in one go from the parking lot, but decided to backpack in the night before and set up camp. I'm sure there are folks who complete the whole thing in one go, but considering we packed out on day 2, we still managed to complete nearly 12 miles that day.

I've now done 36 14ers, and my husband (we climbed together) has summited 44. We both have multiple summits of a few peaks. Last weekend we did the Blanca group and Lindsay in 3 days. We are 42 and 47 and pretty active and fit. Take what you will from that to interpret the report :)

The trail in is in excellent condition, and we got to camp in about 1 hr 45 mins. We were camping right where the lollipop closes or the trail up the two peaks divides.

As for the hike, we started at 4:50 a.m. and summitted at 7:12 a.m. The hike up Harvard is as pleasant as they come, with a nice scramble near the top. We rested for 20 mins at the top and then took off to Columbia. We met some folks who did the traverse in 5 hours the day before; it took us about 4 hours and 10 minutes, arriving at Columbia at 11:40 a.m. We left Columbia's summit at Noon and arrived at camp at 1:45 p.m. Our total time was 9 hours with about 60-75 minutes of breaks.

This report primarily focuses on the traverse. The first half of the traverse (on the Harvard side) is much easier to follow with a clear trail and cairns. The second half is where it gets tough. I estimate that we spent 1/2 to 2/3 of our time out there scrambling across scree and boulders, looking for cairns and checking maps to ensure we were headed in the right direction. Pay attention to the photos, especially the ones with the ❌ ❌. It is tempting to look at that gulley (it's worse than you can tell in the images and longer/steeper, too, and think that you'e done a gulley and you could do this one, but heed the advice and head north and around the east ridge. It's a little longer, but much easier and safer.

Our fellow hikers told us there were "no cairns." We did find cairns and they were spot on, but sometimes hard to detect as you look across the expanse of the boulder field. My recommendation is to zoom out and scan in the general direction you should be headed (using maps and pictures), and more often than not, you'll find a cairn. If you've been looking for 5 minutes or more and haven't seen one, I'd recommend reevaluating your location and see if you can spot one.

There were still snowfields, and while they could be avoided, they were a relief from rocks. Only 1 or 2 seemed a bit steep, but we were able to kick step and use hiking poles for balance. They should be gone in a few weeks, but it dropped to about freezing at 11,500, so they might hang around for a bit. We didn't use spikes, but they could bring comfort and a little faster crossing.

A few more of the not-so-pleasant notes:
1) It's long. Bring enough water and food. My husband finished 2L of H2O by the time we summited Columbia, and I finished right as we arrived back at camp. We prehydrate a bit, and we don't chug water. Some people might need 3-4 L to do this safely.

2) The final ascent to Columbia is steep. You've been out there a long time, the cairns are thinner, and you're probably tired. A 5-minute break before the summit ascent helped me.

3) Route finding is challenging here; study the maps and pictures, and look for the cairns. There are many ways to go, and some areas can be sketchy.

4) Hiking poles were a huge help, especially on the way down. I used rubber feet on mine to have a better grip on rocks. I carried them in one hand, too, and did a lot of scrambling. If you have them, I'd use them or take them.

5) The hike down Columbia is a mix of stairs and loose slippery talus. We'd been given the heads up about the 1-1.5 miles of talus. Hope this helps with the mental preparation for the descent, which is overall fine.

The pleasant news:
1) It was a gorgeous day: bluebird skies, few clouds, insane visibility
2) wild flowers were popping!
3) Great campsites if you take that option
4) There was hardly anyone out there
5) CFI has done some trail work, and it shows - thank you, CFI volunteers and CFI!
6) I might not do the traverse again, but the area is gorgeous and we ticked off two more :)

Photo Notes:
1) Photos taken when we were feeling good!
2) The photo with a lot of Boulders is before the final push to Columbia's summit
3) Gorgeous day and stunning views - enjoy the hike!