Eagle County Highpoint Trip Report
Mount of the Holy Cross (14,005 ft)
Date: September 18, 2004
Author: Kevin Baker
Route: standard north ridge on ascent; Halo Ridge on descent
My friend Patrick Thornley and I had looked forward to this climb for quite some time and the weekend
looked perfect to make an attempt before the early storms came in. We drove to Denver Friday night to
pick up our friend Risa Hayes. We ended up being chauffeured by our friend Walt who planned on fishing
while we climbed. We stayed at a Holiday Inn in Frisco and headed for the hills early Saturday morning.
We got a little later start than expected due to missing an alarm and having some problems with checking
out at the hotel but we weren't worried too about the weather as the skies were crystal clear. The Tigiwon
road leading to the trailhead was in excellent shape, feeling like a superhighway compared to our bouncy
rides up Lake Como and South Colony roads this summer. There were probably 15-20 cars at the trailhead,
so we knew it would be busy on the trail. I came up with the idea of doing the standard north ridge route to
Holy Cross first, then take the Halo ridge route over to centennial Holy Cross Ridge and continue traversing
the ridge all the way over to the historic Notch Mountain shelter. By traversing the ridge, we could finally
see the famous Cross Couloir on the east face. We knew that in September the likelihood of success on this
route was much more likely.
We set out at a conservative pace heading up to 11,640-foot Half Moon Pass, knowing that we would lose
quite a bit of the 1300-foot gain we had achieved on the back side of it. That's what makes Holy Cross so tough.
We made it up to the pass in about 45 minutes and took a short break before heading down.
We made it around the north slopes of Notch Mountain and caught our first glimpse of majestic Holy Cross.
I can see how the early pioneers were so fascinated with the beauty of this mountain. The aspens were
turning colors in the valley and the views were spectacular. We made it down to East Cross Creek in
another 45 minutes and this is where the real grunt began. From here, you have 3300 feet of vertical in less
than 3 miles. The trail climbs relentlessly upward and onward with little breaks until it breaks out of tree line
at around 11,600 feet. As I gained the ridge, I noticed there were some grey clouds to the west, probably a
couple hours away. They did not look like storm clouds, though, so I thought we could continue with the
agenda. The climb basically turns into a slog up talus with bits and pieces of trail. There is a brief respite
where the ridge flattens out above 13,000 feet, then the final 600 feet is an arduous boulder hop to the summit.
Since we got a late start, there were already quite a few groups making their way down just below
the summit.
I topped out in 4 hours and 5 minutes to one of the best views in the Sawatch to enjoy. As I summitted,
I paused to thank God for the breathtaking work of His hands. This mountain has a special meaning for me
since I am a Christian. As I opened my eyes and caught my breath, a group of 3 guys were celebrating in
there own way by each drinking a can a Keystone Light through a funnel or whatever they call it.
To each his own I guess! Patrick and Risa summitted a few minutes later as did quite a few others.
Patrick completed the Sawatch range, as Holy Cross marked #36 or 37 for him.
This was #13 for Risa (all since June), and #29 for me.
I counted around 15 people or so on the summit, with groups coming and going.
The summit block of Holy Cross is impressive, as a ledge drops off into the abyss of the east face.
There is a cool spire just below the summit as well that I am sure many have climbed.
I looked down the Cross Couloir and could see all the way to the bottom!
After 1 hour and 25 minutes on the summit, we headed over to centennial Holy Cross Ridge. The weather
at this point was moving in with clouds producing precipitation directly west but they appeared to be non-
threatening so we continued. I met a climber named Josh from Nederland on the way up who wanted to join
us on the traverse. I told him that he could forgo the 900-foot climb back up to Half Moon Pass on the way
out but it would add 3 miles to the hike. We made it back down to the saddle and followed the ridge up
through talus and huge boulders to Holy Cross Ridge in about 40 minutes, my first centennial!
Graupel pellets began to fall on the summit but it looked like the clouds were pretty thin.
We signed the register and took a few quick picturess, then headed east on the ridge to continue our route.
Gerry Roach describes an approach to the centennial from Tuhare Lakes that we considered descending
but it looked like the weather was going to improve. The snow had subsided so we decided to continue
the traverse to Notch Mountain shelter. There is essentially no trail on the ridge so it is a
very slow process. You must pay attention to each step across the endless maze of talus and boulders.
As the clouds passed over, I thought I noticed a strange noise from among the rocks. I stopped to listen and
thought it was static electricity building up in the rocks. I stopped and told everyone else to listen but
nobody else heard it. Maybe it was just the wind, but Risa felt like she sensed static electricity in her
trekking poles. Whatever I heard subsided so we continued on. Each of us was beginning to feel the fatigue
from being above 13K for so long but we finally made it over to an unranked 13'er, Pt 13373, in about an hour.
We took another short break here and then down-climbed a very tedious and painful section back to
the ridge. We stayed right to avoid a gully that would have taken us to cliff bands. This would be easy to
see if you were ascending this route. After another hour, we contoured below Pt. 13248, a ranked 13'er.
At this point we were all just looking for the quickest way to the shelter, so we bypassed another summit
chance. We finally made it to the shelter in 2 hours and 45minutes from the summit of Holy Cross Ridge.
From Holy Cross, the ridge doesn't look too bad but it takes a lot longer than expected because of the lack
of any trail most of the way.
We staggered into the historic shelter, eager to get something on the stomach. This historic stone shelter
was where many pilgrims would make the journey to see the elusive Cross Couloir, which faces the east but
is blocked by Notch Mountain. The shelter is equipped with a nice picnic table inside and a fireplace.
I don't know why someone would want to carry firewood up here but it would be a nice place to camp.
At this point, my head was pounding so I took some aspirin and downed as much food and water as I could to
regain some strength. Patrick and I thought we only had 3 miles or so left but we consulted Roach's
instructions and noted that we still had 5.3 to go! I downed a Gu shot for the long slog down, thinking that
this would turn into a death march, but the Notch Mountain trail provided gentle switchbacks for our weary
knees and we made pretty good time down to the Fall Creek trail. This trail was also in excellent shape and
we enjoyed sweeping views of the valley below, as we wound our way through the colorful aspens.
We made radio contact with our driver Walt and he made his way up the trail to meet us. I gave out a summit
yell to get his attention in the woods to no avail but he finally heard it about 1 1/4 miles from the trailhead.
It rained lightly on us for the last mile and we finally arrived at the trailhead at 7:15, making for a 10-hour
15-minute climb, not including our time on Holy Cross. It was a very long and taxing climb but the views
were well worth the effort!
Climb statistics: Round-trip distance 15.0 miles, with 5,410 feet of total elevation gain.