Route Climbed: Frenchman's Creek Date Climbed: 28Jun2003
I was a smoker then who didn't really prepare for this - my first 14er, thus I found it to be an extremely difficult yet rewarding hike. It is now almost a year later and I can say without a doubt that finishing that hike changed my life. I have since quit smoking and gained a new found respect for myself. I found it was easier to quit smoking than it was to finish that hike. Any time I find something in life that I think I cannot get past I think back to when I was sitting at 14,420 feet. I now know that I can conquer anything.
I recommend that every living soul complete a 14er, though in retrospect I probably wouldn't recommend Mt Harvard as a first.
I would especially like to thank Jim and Aaron for pushing me up that mountain.
I would especially like to thank Jim and Aaron for pushing me up that mountain.
Route Climbed: South Side Standard Route Date Climbed: October 27, 2003
Started from Cottonwood trailhead at around 3am. It took 5 hours for our team to summit. Late in the year so it was pretty cold and windy. Otherwise, a good hike (not really a climb). Some rock scramble (easy) at the top.
Route Climbed: South slopes Date Climbed: July 2002
Climbed together with Columbia - the pair make for a long day. Opted to descend into drainage rather than travers the connecting ridge between Harvard and Columbia - not a particularily good idea.
Route Climbed: South Slopes Date Climbed: June 19 2002
Attempted to climb Harvard and Columbia, but your right in your home page description it was a very long day and a deceiving amount of travel/work. Turned back on the summit of Harvard as conditioning/weather made the call.
Route Climbed: South Slopes Date Climbed: September 17, 2003
Left the N. Cottonwood TH around 3:30am and made the summit around 6:30am. No snow, partly clear skies and fierce winds. Taking the wind and lenticulars into consierations I opted not to do the ridge traverse to Columbia. Around 7:30 I arrived at 11,600 and the start for Columbia's West Slopes. The weather had cleared and I decided to do the link-up the hard way. I climbed Columbia and made it back to the TH around 11:15am. Best guess is 7100 vertical and 16 miles. What a day.
Route Climbed: south slopes Date Climbed: August 19, 2002
This one was a "must climb" for me (former HMS fellow and faculty). Great climb and fun scrambling to the summit. It is interesting how the view from treeline is so deceptive, appearing as if Harvard is the lower summit. of the peaks in the basin.
Route Climbed: Cottonwood TH (standard) Date Climbed: 7/12/03
Made a high camp the night before at 11,300'. Time to get a filter, because lugging up 3 gallons of water to camp wore me out. Anyway, started up from camp at 6:45 and made the summit around 10:00. It was a great day for a hike and the trail was easy to follow. Had to make one rock climbing move with exposure about 30' below the summit. No big deal and it was a nice change of pace. Harvard is a fun mountain, but I can't say the same about Columbia.
Route Climbed: Frenchman Creek Date Climbed: June 28, 2003
What a wonderful mountain. Wish I hadn't waited so long to climb it. The Frenchman Creek approach is a great way to climb it as it is the shortest route. We had great weather and had fun getting some beginners up their first 14er!
Route Climbed: South Slopes Date Climbed: June 21, 2003
Hiked up into Horn Fork Basin on Friday night; camped at treeline. The hike from here was beautiful. While in the basin, you're surrounded by gorgeous views in every direction. The scrambling from 13,200+ is a bit strenuous but I actually thought the last part of it was pretty fun. On the way down, I stopped at Bear Lake for some R&R. Then back to camp, and up Columbia on Sunday.
Route Climbed: standard South Slopes Date Climbed: 1996
I liked Harvard. Good Views of the Pine Creek Drainage. I also thought Horn Fork Basin was a cool place to camp. I enjoyed Harvard and Columbia more than Elbert or Massive, Yale,La Plata, Belford, Oxford,Shavano.
Route Climbed: S Ridge Date Climbed: 25 September, 1999
Having wanted to summit Harvard after Columbia 2 weeks earlier, I wussed out after deciding that I didn't have enough time. The next time I made sure to do Harvard first, and then took Rabbit Ridge over to Columbia. Ascent from N Cottonwood Creek TH took 3:14, another 2:26 to get to Columbia, and finally 3:43 going down Columbia's SE Ridge to the CO/Main Range & Harvard Lakes TH. Quite a full day, but fun!
Route Climbed: South Slopes Date Climbed: July 29, 2002
We went with a 2:30 AM start on this one in anticipation of a very long day. Perfect weather and fantastic views from the top. We stayed two hours up there and then headed towards Columbia.
Route Climbed: dropped down to eastern basin just above treeline from columbia Date Climbed: august 23, 2002
Summated harvard around 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. under cloudy skies during the '02 nolan's '14 endurance event.
http://mattmahoney.net/nolans14/index.html
Climbing with mahoney, we climbed the eastern slopes to the summit ridge and had come upon 3 people from nolan's who couldn't locate the summit and were having some trouble negotiating the summit ridge in the dark. They continued on with us and all 5 of us summated in a group.
Route Climbed: standard rout Date Climbed: october 5 2002
the valley fills up with snow making this a tough
peak to climb in the winter/fall. there are a lot of good camp sights along the way. I think the trip would be easyier if you summited columbia then harvard but I am not sure. The veiw from the summit is amazing but the last 50 feet or so gets icy so be carful
Route Climbed: North Cottonwood Trailhead - South Slopes (+Columbia) Date Climbed: June 13, 2002
A difficult climb to Harvard. The traverse to Columbia was terribly difficult. I never did find the route described by Roach in his book. I dropped to nearly 11,500 ft. and climbed Columbia via a scree filled draw. A terrible route. Additionally, the descent from Columbia back to the NC trailhead was a 2,500 ft. scree slope. Made it back to my car much later than I intended to. I would have been in deep trouble had a storm rolled in.
If you do this route, do some careful research. Roach calls it "arduous," and it certainly is. If I could go back I would do the peaks separately, and probably do Columbia via it's East slope. Remember that once you make the decision to do Columbia, you can't back out. It's between you and your car!
Route Climbed: South Slopes Date Climbed: July 13, 2002
Great weather and clear skies were nice to see after being surrounded by haze in the San Juans the week before. Made the summit before noon and had a nice relaxing lunch at 14,420 :) What a kind elevation. Harvard on it's own probably isn't that long of a day but when you add Columbia (which we did) it becomes a pretty tough day.
Route Climbed: North Cottonwood Creek Trailhead Date Climbed: July 22, 1998
I backpacked to timberline along a fine trail. Camped in the trees along a stream. It was great. Started for the summit at daybreak. Summited just before noon. This was my 28th fourteener.
attila_dobai - Apr 4, 2004 4:07 am
Route Climbed: Frenchman's Creek Date Climbed: 28Jun2003I was a smoker then who didn't really prepare for this - my first 14er, thus I found it to be an extremely difficult yet rewarding hike. It is now almost a year later and I can say without a doubt that finishing that hike changed my life. I have since quit smoking and gained a new found respect for myself. I found it was easier to quit smoking than it was to finish that hike. Any time I find something in life that I think I cannot get past I think back to when I was sitting at 14,420 feet. I now know that I can conquer anything.
I recommend that every living soul complete a 14er, though in retrospect I probably wouldn't recommend Mt Harvard as a first.
I would especially like to thank Jim and Aaron for pushing me up that mountain.
I would especially like to thank Jim and Aaron for pushing me up that mountain.
esugi - Jan 19, 2004 11:34 am
Route Climbed: South Side Standard Route Date Climbed: October 27, 2003Started from Cottonwood trailhead at around 3am. It took 5 hours for our team to summit. Late in the year so it was pretty cold and windy. Otherwise, a good hike (not really a climb). Some rock scramble (easy) at the top.
hhsilleck - Jan 9, 2004 7:19 pm
Route Climbed: South slopes Date Climbed: July 2002Climbed together with Columbia - the pair make for a long day. Opted to descend into drainage rather than travers the connecting ridge between Harvard and Columbia - not a particularily good idea.
Jim Clarke - Oct 8, 2003 12:32 pm
Route Climbed: South Slopes Date Climbed: June 19 2002Attempted to climb Harvard and Columbia, but your right in your home page description it was a very long day and a deceiving amount of travel/work. Turned back on the summit of Harvard as conditioning/weather made the call.
miztflip - Sep 18, 2003 9:11 pm
Route Climbed: South Slopes Date Climbed: September 17, 2003Left the N. Cottonwood TH around 3:30am and made the summit around 6:30am. No snow, partly clear skies and fierce winds. Taking the wind and lenticulars into consierations I opted not to do the ridge traverse to Columbia. Around 7:30 I arrived at 11,600 and the start for Columbia's West Slopes. The weather had cleared and I decided to do the link-up the hard way. I climbed Columbia and made it back to the TH around 11:15am. Best guess is 7100 vertical and 16 miles. What a day.
dp - Aug 20, 2003 9:28 pm
Route Climbed: south slopes Date Climbed: August 19, 2002This one was a "must climb" for me (former HMS fellow and faculty). Great climb and fun scrambling to the summit. It is interesting how the view from treeline is so deceptive, appearing as if Harvard is the lower summit. of the peaks in the basin.
Bryan W - Jul 16, 2003 12:28 pm
Route Climbed: Cottonwood TH (standard) Date Climbed: 7/12/03Made a high camp the night before at 11,300'. Time to get a filter, because lugging up 3 gallons of water to camp wore me out. Anyway, started up from camp at 6:45 and made the summit around 10:00. It was a great day for a hike and the trail was easy to follow. Had to make one rock climbing move with exposure about 30' below the summit. No big deal and it was a nice change of pace. Harvard is a fun mountain, but I can't say the same about Columbia.
big_g - Jul 11, 2003 6:47 pm Date Climbed: Jul 9, 2003
Route Climbed: from Horn Fork BasinNice hike up from high camp in the basin. Felt pretty good but that was because I did not realize how much Columbia was going to suck. :)
mtnhiker13 - Jul 9, 2003 11:35 am
Route Climbed: Frenchman Creek Date Climbed: June 28, 2003What a wonderful mountain. Wish I hadn't waited so long to climb it. The Frenchman Creek approach is a great way to climb it as it is the shortest route. We had great weather and had fun getting some beginners up their first 14er!
shannarae2k - Jun 30, 2003 8:51 am
Route Climbed: Frenchman's Creek Date Climbed: 6/28/03This was my first 14er and second summit. Hard and strenuous climb!
mmoerk - Jun 24, 2003 11:19 pm
Route Climbed: South Slopes Date Climbed: June 21, 2003Hiked up into Horn Fork Basin on Friday night; camped at treeline. The hike from here was beautiful. While in the basin, you're surrounded by gorgeous views in every direction. The scrambling from 13,200+ is a bit strenuous but I actually thought the last part of it was pretty fun. On the way down, I stopped at Bear Lake for some R&R. Then back to camp, and up Columbia on Sunday.
Kane - May 27, 2003 7:34 pm
Route Climbed: standard South Slopes Date Climbed: 1996I liked Harvard. Good Views of the Pine Creek Drainage. I also thought Horn Fork Basin was a cool place to camp. I enjoyed Harvard and Columbia more than Elbert or Massive, Yale,La Plata, Belford, Oxford,Shavano.
Diggler - Apr 17, 2003 6:20 pm
Route Climbed: S Ridge Date Climbed: 25 September, 1999Having wanted to summit Harvard after Columbia 2 weeks earlier, I wussed out after deciding that I didn't have enough time. The next time I made sure to do Harvard first, and then took Rabbit Ridge over to Columbia. Ascent from N Cottonwood Creek TH took 3:14, another 2:26 to get to Columbia, and finally 3:43 going down Columbia's SE Ridge to the CO/Main Range & Harvard Lakes TH. Quite a full day, but fun!
Colonelpyat - Feb 28, 2003 2:59 am
Route Climbed: South Slopes Date Climbed: July 29, 2002We went with a 2:30 AM start on this one in anticipation of a very long day. Perfect weather and fantastic views from the top. We stayed two hours up there and then headed towards Columbia.
steve simmons - Dec 10, 2002 4:16 pm
Route Climbed: dropped down to eastern basin just above treeline from columbia Date Climbed: august 23, 2002Summated harvard around 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. under cloudy skies during the '02 nolan's '14 endurance event.
http://mattmahoney.net/nolans14/index.html
Climbing with mahoney, we climbed the eastern slopes to the summit ridge and had come upon 3 people from nolan's who couldn't locate the summit and were having some trouble negotiating the summit ridge in the dark. They continued on with us and all 5 of us summated in a group.
GOD bless! Praise JESUS!!!!
chef007 - Oct 21, 2002 11:03 pm
Route Climbed: standard rout Date Climbed: october 5 2002the valley fills up with snow making this a tough
peak to climb in the winter/fall. there are a lot of good camp sights along the way. I think the trip would be easyier if you summited columbia then harvard but I am not sure. The veiw from the summit is amazing but the last 50 feet or so gets icy so be carful
rmjwinters - Oct 6, 2002 1:47 pm
Route Climbed: North Slopes Date Climbed: May 26 2001Long day. Post holed the entire route except for the first mile. Weather held for late May.
Ed F - Sep 14, 2002 11:31 am
Route Climbed: North Cottonwood Trailhead - South Slopes (+Columbia) Date Climbed: June 13, 2002A difficult climb to Harvard. The traverse to Columbia was terribly difficult. I never did find the route described by Roach in his book. I dropped to nearly 11,500 ft. and climbed Columbia via a scree filled draw. A terrible route. Additionally, the descent from Columbia back to the NC trailhead was a 2,500 ft. scree slope. Made it back to my car much later than I intended to. I would have been in deep trouble had a storm rolled in.
If you do this route, do some careful research. Roach calls it "arduous," and it certainly is. If I could go back I would do the peaks separately, and probably do Columbia via it's East slope. Remember that once you make the decision to do Columbia, you can't back out. It's between you and your car!
xskier77 - Jul 15, 2002 3:01 am
Route Climbed: South Slopes Date Climbed: July 13, 2002Great weather and clear skies were nice to see after being surrounded by haze in the San Juans the week before. Made the summit before noon and had a nice relaxing lunch at 14,420 :) What a kind elevation. Harvard on it's own probably isn't that long of a day but when you add Columbia (which we did) it becomes a pretty tough day.
wayneaflick - Jun 28, 2002 2:18 am
Route Climbed: North Cottonwood Creek Trailhead Date Climbed: July 22, 1998I backpacked to timberline along a fine trail. Camped in the trees along a stream. It was great. Started for the summit at daybreak. Summited just before noon. This was my 28th fourteener.