Not a cloud in the sky on Mount Harvard

The hike

I had stayed the night in Buena Vista, and left the motel at 6 in the morning for Mount Harvard. I started out on the North Cottonwood Trail and was almost immediately greeted with a truely spectacular view of Mount Yale. I continued up on the trail and the view started to open up. As I reached 11,600 feet, there was a very beautiful perspective of Mount Columbia. I continued up in the valley, and I passed Bear Lake, and the view to the north and south opened up. Looking south I could see all the way south to Mount Antero, with Mount Princeton and Mount Yale closer in. The trail now got harder and I kept on going up. The wind started to pick up as I reached closer to the summit. This was the hardest part of the trail, but when I reached the top, I could tell from the view that the entire 6.8 miles up were well worth it.
I then reached the summit, and the views were spectacular. Looking south, you could see Mount Yale, Mount Princeton, Mount Antero, and Bear Lake. Looking west you could see Mount Belford and Mount Oxford. Looking North, you could see Mount Huron and La Plata Peak. Looking east you could see Mount Columbia, the vrutal ridge that you have to cross to get to it, and the city of Buena Vista. I started to go down, and decided to go on a little sidetrip to Bear Lake. I decided to come back again to do Mount Columbia. It was worth it, and it gave a very interesting perspective on Mount Yale.
I got back to my car, and overall it was an amazing hike, and there was not a single cloud in the sky.
I made it down and it was a perfect majestic day.

Images

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