Mt. Columbia #7 August 19-20, 2006

Mount Columbiaaaaah. We climbed on Sunday, three days ago now, and I am still gimping around a little. I think that will happen no matter what kind of shape you are in, because I have been working out on a regular basis, and consider myself to be in shape. I'm not sure, but maybe it has something to do with climbing a vertical face straight up and down for four hours? 

Columbia is out near Buena Vista and is the same trailhead as Harvard. This time, we camped at the base of the trailhead and then hiked the whole thing the next day. That was a good option. There is plenty of camping at the base, not at the trailhead, but about 3/4 mile from it. Grassy areas near the river...very swanky.

We set up camp there on Saturday night after a lovely dinner with some friends in the area. Unfortunately, it was raining so we didn't get to see the stars until when nature called in the middle of the night. I was stunned by them, as usual, and in the one minute I was out of the tent---I saw a shooting star. I want to go back there and camp just for the stars!

The alarm rang at 4:15 the next morning. We got up about 4:45. We were right on schedule and just about ready to head out when we realized the car was dead. Thanks to the range rover guys who gave us a quick jump!!

By 6 AM we were on the trail. Same first four miles as Harvard, then you make a turn off. After about a half mile of more meandering, you come out to the base of Columbia, and start across a rock field. From that point on it is up up up. Pretty much straight up. Trekking poles and strong quads are a necessity. But the nice thing is, that once you hike for about 2 hours straight up-- you arrive at the top. It's only about 15 more minutes or so of easy scrambling to the summit. 

It was a beautiful day for this hike. And unlike other hikes, we socialized heavily with other summiters at the top. There was about 7 of us sharing stories and raving about Colorado. We snacked on lunchables - yuck - and slim jims and then decided the clouds looked a little iffy that we needed to head out.

The 'slide' down was just as hairy as we had imagined it would be at the top, but you just have to keep moving, albeit very carefully, and you get there eventually. The clouds grew gray and the thunder rumbled, but we made it down without incident. 

We met up with a couple that we talked to at the top and walked the remaining four miles with them. The conversation was nice and helped the time go fast...although hubby and I kept stopping to take photos of the amazing mushrooms we kept seeing. The forest was filled with more types of mushrooms than I have ever seen. "Magic Mushrooms"—the kind that look like they are out of a fairy tale: red with white spots—were prevalant. There were others that looked like coral, and others that looked like they were bleeding. The conditions were obviously right for the fungi. This area of woods is the epitomy of evergreen forest. The trail was soft with pine needles, and the soil rich and dark. The fern was thick in places and the moss grew like caterpillars on the rock. The colors were deep, rich green and subtle rust and the smell was fresh, clear and piney.

We enjoyed this hike quite a bit, even though it was a bear. The trail through the woods and the sense of accomplishment of climbing straight up the mountain made it a ten. 

Next weekend, Mount Elbert. From what I can tell, it should be a walk in the park in comparison to Columbia (but as I have to remind myself, 14-ers are NEVER a walk in the park.)