MOUNT HARVARD 8/7/85

MOUNT HARVARD 14,420'


Mountain........Mount Harvard
Elevation.........14,420
Rank...............3rd
Range..............Sawatch
Trail length......6 miles
Elevation gain..4,400'
Difficulty..........**
Comments........Marmots!

TRIP REPORT

8/7/85

Having done four peaks in the last three days, we felt we were ready to test our manhood with two more. So, after doughnuts and coffee, Richard drove us to the Harvard trailhead near North Cottonwood Creek. We hiked a long way uphill through the woods listening to some unearthly screeching that we never located or identified (mountain lion?). Finally about 4.5 miles in we were rewarded with a view of Mts. Yale, Harvard and Columbia.
From here we headed to the right up Horn Forks Basin and followed the most well-defined trail. Unfortunately, it led left to Bear Lake, a popular campsite but a little way off the most direct summit route. So we backtracked a little and took a chance climbing over a small ridge, and wound up where we should have been 45 minutes earlier - on a small snowfield about 2,000' directly below the summit.

A steep climb and a little scrambling got us to the summit, where a herd (flock?) of hissing and whistling marmots surrounded us. We found the support base that had been built for a flagpole that once had been erected in a futile attempt to increase the mountain's elevation and make Mt. Harvard the highest peak in Colorado.




We took a short break on top. I wasn't feeling very well, but we decided to continue on to Mount Columbia.

This picture of Mt. Harvard is from the saddle between Mts. Belford & Oxford.