Great video, thanks for sharing. My son , a friend and I climbed Mt. of the Holy Cross about 10 years ago. My first 14'er. A storm was building to the south as we began our decent and once we had reached our vehicle it began to hail and lightning all around us. Half way to the highway it down poured.
Yikes - yeah I had that scenario happen to me years ago on an aborted climb up Mt. Princeton. We got poured on, but fortunately by then we had already made it down to the forest. It's scary to realize your vulnerability in those situations. But like me, you must have felt glad to escape the close call. Thanks for watching!
I'm planning a hike on mount of the holy cross next month. Super excited, it's probably the one I've wanted to do the most within my level of experience. I've only hiked 6 14ers, but one was the Lulu gulch route on Mt Huron. I'm in great shape but exhaustion combined with exposure worries me a bit. Do you think that I should go for the Halo Ridge route or just take the standard route my first time? Love all the work you put into these videos. They give a unique perspective that really encapsulates the adventure in these climbs. EDIT: Just wanted to say that the reason I want to do this route is to get those spectacular views from the 13ers as well as the view of the cross itself. But I've heard both routes have great views regardless.
Thanks for your favorable assessment, and the question. Every 14er climb is amazing, but I have to say, I would assign this one a bit more of a special status. Going up and down via the standard north ridge route will afford you a spectacular experience in its own right, and great views of the mountain. The endurance stats, though, are quite considerable. But if you are in good enough shape, this dimension of it shouldn't give you any more trepidation about the Halo route than the standard route. Really, the distinguishing factors are the exposure (to the elevation, and to potential bad weather), and the rugged off-trail nature of the Halo route. Nearly the entirety of the 2+-mile Halo ridge stretch is talus-hopping. If you're not used to this sort of thing, it can be daunting and taxing to morale. I have never done the ridge up Mt. Huron that you mentioned, but it looks to be mostly an off-trail affair, which would be helpful experience, even though it doesn't look to be quite as talus-intensive as this. As for the exposure aspect, the Halo ridge is isolated and you're kind of stuck in the event of adverse conditions. For that reason, I would say that you'd want to go into it with a willingness to turn back if the weather shows any indication of becoming bad. To this effect, when you reach the Notch Mountain shelter, that is a good place to assess the weather. You can expect the Halo stretch (from the shelter to Mt. of the Holy Cross itself) to take several hours on its own. All that being said, I have a difficult time dissuading anyone from climbing the Halo route, having experienced its grandeur myself first-hand. Those ridge views are majestic, and descending the regular route gives you the full tour-de-Holy-Cross. I would say go for it, but be prepared and wise.
Heck of a mountain and heck of a story! Any signs of the Ark of the Covenant? If not, maybe those gorgeous ridge walks are just as good. :) Nice one buddy!!
I tried going that way, but found it slippery, treacherous, difficult to follow, and permeated by an indescribable thick haze - so I backtracked, and yes, settled for the clarity and simplicity of the amazing ridges 'of this world.' 🤣.....but really, this peak does particularly epitomize the 14er experience - going either of these routes, but especially the 'loop.' Thanks again for watching sir!!
@@CentennialTreks Also, you never know what type of nefarious characters you will find going that way. Wise move... :D For sure, this looked liked one I would really like to do some day. Until the next one sir!!
This was a memorable experience, and my best estimate of why is to say that this circuitous route up and down this mountain was about as varied in its scenic offerings as it was long, rugged and exhausting. The lower stretches were lush and alive, and the upper reaches sublime and dramatic. On this basis I would recommend this. And congrats to the winner of the challenge at 20:20, Ryan Miles, who was the first to guess what 2 peaks were pictured. Also, for my video of climbing neighboring 14er Mt. Massive, mentioned in this video: th-cam.com/video/xY-U1CqT91o/w-d-xo.html. Happy trails!! -CT
Always wanted to do that route. I’ve don’t the standard route before which was an enjoyable sufferfest 😂. How long did it take you to summit. Took me almost 5 hours when I did
"Enjoyable sufferfest".....that captures something about the mtn. climb experience generally. For the Halo route, it took me nearly 6 hours to ascend. I don't remember the time for when I did the normal route, but I would say 5 hours isn't bad at all for that.
Good question. I would say no, for these reasons: 1) Weather: The Halo ridge stretch is the highest & most weather-exposed, so it would be best to target the best time window for this part, and that is earlier. Being up on those high isolated ridges later would put you, on average, at greater weather-risk, unless you begin very, very early up the standard route - but that negates the point of seeing the sights; 2) Exhaustion: doing the loop in reverse would eliminate the large elevation gain toward the very end, yes, but overall it evens out. The descent stretches of the standard route now become ascents in the reversed scenario. Plus, this would leave you potentially in a greater state of exhaustion once you get to the Halo stretch, and there is where it is most crucial to be nimble and focused while doing all the off-trail boulder negotiating. Anyway, those are my thoughts on that one.
Did the loop CCW yesterday. Went up standard route first as I wasn’t sure weather would be good enough to attempt the loop, but it was good enough when I summited so I continued on. The Halo Ridge part was tough but so worth it to get those striking views of Bowl of Tears, the cross itself, and surrounding wilderness
Great video and footage again. I sure do appreciate the detail. Ive been really wanting to do this route, and your video makes it plain that it will take some prep to be ready for this one. That whole Halo Ridge section looks amazing. And I must say, 9 hours to do those 15 miles and 5300 feet of gain is quite impressive. I’d be looking at 12 hours at the very least for me to do that.
Great video, thanks for sharing. My son , a friend and I climbed Mt. of the Holy Cross about 10 years ago. My first 14'er. A storm was building to the south as we began our decent and once we had reached our vehicle it began to hail and lightning all around us. Half way to the highway it down poured.
Yikes - yeah I had that scenario happen to me years ago on an aborted climb up Mt. Princeton. We got poured on, but fortunately by then we had already made it down to the forest. It's scary to realize your vulnerability in those situations. But like me, you must have felt glad to escape the close call. Thanks for watching!
The saddleback pair you asked about at ~20:45 I believe are Grays & Torrey’s.
They are indeed Gray's and Torrey's!
Thanks for sharing! Will be taking this route in a couple weeks, this video was very helpful!
I'm glad you found it helpful - and good for you for researching the route beforehand.
Rock of ages, cleft for me! That ridge walk was a spiritual experience…
Indeed - aptly named.
Great hike bud , thanks for bringing us with you.
Thank you for watching it!!
Planning to do this loop with a friend in a couple weeks. We're hoping to be on the trail by 4:30am. Loved the video, and watched it all. Cheers!
Good fortune to you. An early start is good, for sure. You will find it is worth the effort. Thank you for watching, too - I know this is long!
I'm planning a hike on mount of the holy cross next month. Super excited, it's probably the one I've wanted to do the most within my level of experience. I've only hiked 6 14ers, but one was the Lulu gulch route on Mt Huron. I'm in great shape but exhaustion combined with exposure worries me a bit. Do you think that I should go for the Halo Ridge route or just take the standard route my first time?
Love all the work you put into these videos. They give a unique perspective that really encapsulates the adventure in these climbs.
EDIT: Just wanted to say that the reason I want to do this route is to get those spectacular views from the 13ers as well as the view of the cross itself. But I've heard both routes have great views regardless.
Thanks for your favorable assessment, and the question. Every 14er climb is amazing, but I have to say, I would assign this one a bit more of a special status. Going up and down via the standard north ridge route will afford you a spectacular experience in its own right, and great views of the mountain. The endurance stats, though, are quite considerable. But if you are in good enough shape, this dimension of it shouldn't give you any more trepidation about the Halo route than the standard route. Really, the distinguishing factors are the exposure (to the elevation, and to potential bad weather), and the rugged off-trail nature of the Halo route. Nearly the entirety of the 2+-mile Halo ridge stretch is talus-hopping. If you're not used to this sort of thing, it can be daunting and taxing to morale. I have never done the ridge up Mt. Huron that you mentioned, but it looks to be mostly an off-trail affair, which would be helpful experience, even though it doesn't look to be quite as talus-intensive as this. As for the exposure aspect, the Halo ridge is isolated and you're kind of stuck in the event of adverse conditions. For that reason, I would say that you'd want to go into it with a willingness to turn back if the weather shows any indication of becoming bad. To this effect, when you reach the Notch Mountain shelter, that is a good place to assess the weather. You can expect the Halo stretch (from the shelter to Mt. of the Holy Cross itself) to take several hours on its own. All that being said, I have a difficult time dissuading anyone from climbing the Halo route, having experienced its grandeur myself first-hand. Those ridge views are majestic, and descending the regular route gives you the full tour-de-Holy-Cross. I would say go for it, but be prepared and wise.
@@CentennialTreks Appreciate your in-depth response! This helped a lot. Can't wait to get up on this mountain!
Certainly. And do come back on here and let us know how your experience went.
Heck of a mountain and heck of a story! Any signs of the Ark of the Covenant? If not, maybe those gorgeous ridge walks are just as good. :) Nice one buddy!!
I tried going that way, but found it slippery, treacherous, difficult to follow, and permeated by an indescribable thick haze - so I backtracked, and yes, settled for the clarity and simplicity of the amazing ridges 'of this world.' 🤣.....but really, this peak does particularly epitomize the 14er experience - going either of these routes, but especially the 'loop.' Thanks again for watching sir!!
@@CentennialTreks Also, you never know what type of nefarious characters you will find going that way. Wise move... :D For sure, this looked liked one I would really like to do some day. Until the next one sir!!
This was a memorable experience, and my best estimate of why is to say that this circuitous route up and down this mountain was about as varied in its scenic offerings as it was long, rugged and exhausting. The lower stretches were lush and alive, and the upper reaches sublime and dramatic. On this basis I would recommend this. And congrats to the winner of the challenge at 20:20, Ryan Miles, who was the first to guess what 2 peaks were pictured. Also, for my video of climbing neighboring 14er Mt. Massive, mentioned in this video: th-cam.com/video/xY-U1CqT91o/w-d-xo.html. Happy trails!! -CT
Always wanted to do that route. I’ve don’t the standard route before which was an enjoyable sufferfest 😂. How long did it take you to summit. Took me almost 5 hours when I did
"Enjoyable sufferfest".....that captures something about the mtn. climb experience generally. For the Halo route, it took me nearly 6 hours to ascend. I don't remember the time for when I did the normal route, but I would say 5 hours isn't bad at all for that.
Great route, the one to do for the full Holy Cross experience. Hope to do it as a day trip in not too distant future
Yes, for sure.
On second thought though, do you think doing the loop counter clockwise is better? One doesn’t have to deal with that 1000ft up on the way down
Good question. I would say no, for these reasons: 1) Weather: The Halo ridge stretch is the highest & most weather-exposed, so it would be best to target the best time window for this part, and that is earlier. Being up on those high isolated ridges later would put you, on average, at greater weather-risk, unless you begin very, very early up the standard route - but that negates the point of seeing the sights; 2) Exhaustion: doing the loop in reverse would eliminate the large elevation gain toward the very end, yes, but overall it evens out. The descent stretches of the standard route now become ascents in the reversed scenario. Plus, this would leave you potentially in a greater state of exhaustion once you get to the Halo stretch, and there is where it is most crucial to be nimble and focused while doing all the off-trail boulder negotiating. Anyway, those are my thoughts on that one.
Did the loop CCW yesterday. Went up standard route first as I wasn’t sure weather would be good enough to attempt the loop, but it was good enough when I summited so I continued on. The Halo Ridge part was tough but so worth it to get those striking views of Bowl of Tears, the cross itself, and surrounding wilderness
Beautifully rugged for sure. Thx for sharing Treks. Hope to hike a few this year, for now, this will do! - grays and torreys for the win??
👏👍 Good job sir, you win the challenge!! 🏆. Those 2 peaks are discernible from many summits throughout the state, near and far.
@@CentennialTreks ⛰👋 safe passage on your future journeys!
Thanks - likewise.
Great video and footage again. I sure do appreciate the detail. Ive been really wanting to do this route, and your video makes it plain that it will take some prep to be ready for this one. That whole Halo Ridge section looks amazing. And I must say, 9 hours to do those 15 miles and 5300 feet of gain is quite impressive. I’d be looking at 12 hours at the very least for me to do that.
@hiking1213 the Halo stretch IS amazing - you would love it, and undoubtedly find inspiration there.
Grays and Torreys off to the east.
Yes 👍