Mount of the Holy Cross

Mount of the Holy Cross (14,009 ft.) 

North Ridge Route
12 Miles : 5,625 ft. Net Elevation

5:00 AM :

Wake up call; the light from the moon is like daylight, making a headlamp almost unnecessary.

5:30 AM: 

Get dressed, eat, pack up.  The temperature hovers in the low 40s.

6:30 AM

Start the hike from the Halfmoon Trailhead.  Head west towards Halfmoon Pass.

7:30 AM

Reach Halfmoon Pass (11,640 ft.) ; begin descent to East Cross Creek.

8:15 AM

Catch the first glimpse of the North Ridge of Holy Cross (right):

8:45 AM

Ford East Cross Creek; begin swtichbacking through trees.

9:15 AM 

Reach treeline; rest on a grassy platform at the beginning of the long North Ridge. The "notch" on Notch Mountain (13,080 ft.) is clearly visible in the distance:

10:00 AM

Arrive at the imposing summit pyramid; begin scrambling.

10:45 AM

Summit.  Glimpse down the famed Cross Couloir into the Bowl of Tears:

 
11:00 AM

Begin descent.

11:20 AM

 
12:15 PM

Reach treeline.  Thunder begins to rumble to the North; clouds build over the summit and the Bowl of Tears.

12:45 PM

Reach East Cross Creek; begin ascent to Halfmoon Pass.  Moderate rain begins to fall.

1:30 PM

Arrive at Halfmoon Pass; the sky clears and the temperature swings rapidly into the 70s. Descend to the trailhead.

2:15 PM
  
Reach the Halfmoon Trailhead.