Mt. Harvard & Mt. Columbia

This was a one night backpacking trip. We left Boulder a little after noon on Saturday and headed to Buena Vista on 285. We arrived around 4:00pm and then hiked about 3 miles. We stopped just before the split in the trail to Columbia and Harvard. We found a great site with a huge fire pit and a view over a meadow and stream.

The next day we awoke at 3 am and hit the trail around 3:30 am. It was completely dark when we started due to cloud cover. After a few miles we rose above the clouds and could see a sky full of stars and the remnants of a meteor shower that happened a few nights before our trip. As the sun started to light the area, we were awed by the clouds in the valleys. They were incredible! And even featured a cloud waterfall. Shortly after sun rise we reached the top of Harvard. At this point Becca and Russel headed back to camp and Kathleen, Kristen, and I continued on to climbed Columbia. The trail to Columbia is visible for about a mile and then enters a boulder field. At the boulder field the trial is a scramble and you get to pick your approach. We worked our way across the rocks and onto a grassy area that went almost to the top of Columbia. We also found a small but nice alpine lake to fill our water bladders. We reached the summit of Columbia slightly before noon. The way down from Columbia is a well worn trail, but a trail that goes straight down a fairly steep slope. It was a difficult decent.