| Report Type | Full |
| Peak(s) |
Crestone Peak - 14,299 feet Crestone Needle - 14,196 feet Humboldt Peak - 14,068 feet |
| Date Posted | 07/30/2025 |
| Date Climbed | 07/21/2025 |
| Author | LAW1234 |
| S colony sufferfest |
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for cretonne stuff jump down This trip was something I envisioned back in May — a solo journey I mentally drew up during a chaotic period of life. While most of the details before the Crestones and Humboldt are here mainly for my own memory, the entire experience, though short and brutal, meant a great deal to me for a variety of reasons. To some, especially those living in Colorado who hit the mountains regularly, this may not seem like much. But for me, it was a deeply personal push a step forward after months of emotional and physical setbacks. I’m still in school and on track to graduate this December. After that, I’m looking at moving to Denver. This past semester, along with most of the summer, has been a whirlwind. I broke my patella — a brutal injury for someone who lives to run and move. On top of that, there have been family health issues and the looming, uncomfortable reality of entering the “real world.” 
Watching my college experience slowly wind down — seeing my close friends begin new chapters, move away, take serious jobs, find serious relationships — has been harder than I expected. The carefree weekends of beers and late nights are giving way to a new kind of uncertainty. My thoughts have shifted from “what are we drinking this weekend?” to “oh shit, it’s all changing.” Leading up to this trip, I wasn’t even sure I’d go. It’s crazy I never pass up a shot at Colorado. But I had to push myself to get organized and excited. I’ve always wanted to tackle some peaks at my own pace. Every summer, I typically take a trip with my dad, his climbing partner, and his son — and while I truly cherish those moments, I often wonder what it would feel like to move entirely on my own rhythm. My dad has summited 47 of the 58 Colorado 14ers. Before this trip, I had 20 under my belt. So I thought why not go after some he’s already done and push myself into new territory? The Plan:
trip report begin July 20th/21st, 2025 After a quick call with my dad at the 2WD trailhead, I could tell he had doubts about my plan. And honestly, I don’t blame him — the idea of doing Crestone Peak traverse to Needle + Humboldt solo in one push sounded insane, even to me. He thought I was maybe a bit crazy, and I kind of was. But that was the plan. I could have driven to the 4WD trailhead, but I’ve put a lot of time and money into this truck camping build in the back of my F-150, and I didn’t want to risk it. So I added even more miles to my already thrashed legs and started the hike in from the 2WD lot after summiting Huron earlier that day. It was a beautiful afternoon — way less taxing than the days before — but I was still a little spooked when I saw a new sign saying “No Overnight Parking” at the 2WD lot. I decided to risk it. Worst case, I’d be back the next afternoon. After what felt like an hour of packing and repacking my Hyperlite, I finally got it dialed… only to run over it while backing into a spot someone had just pulled out of. My banana exploded, everything was covered in dry dirt and banana slime, and the pack now had two new holes. Great start. I was kicking myself but finally got on the move. 
The slog up to the 4WD trailhead wrecked me. I had hopes someone might drive by and give me a lift, but no luck. I reached the Humboldt/Needle junction and took the right fork, eventually getting my first glimpse of the lakes. I wandered around for a while trying to find a proper hammock site that was legal and away from water, finally got set up, and collapsed. After a Granny Smith apple and some filtered water, I scouted Broken Hand Pass. Big cairns lined the route and gave me false confidence 
it looked easy in daylight. I ran into a woman coming down who had done both Peak and Needle that day via the standard routes. She warned me: Peak’s Red Gully is loose, Needle’s East Gully is more solid but more exposed. I told her my plan, and she gave me a look that screamed: “You’re insane.” Fair enough. By that point, I had eaten almost all my food. I stared at a Mountain House meal I had decided not to pack earlier, thinking, I’d rather starve than eat that crap. In hindsight? Bad decision. All I had left for the next day was:
I passed out by 7 p.m. without even brushing my teeth. Woke up around midnight and just laid there listening to the wind rip across the basin. At 3:00 a.m., I forced myself up. Cold as hell. I made some Death Wish instant coffee, choked down a KIND bar, and waited for the coffee to kick in so I could handle… business. Mission accomplished — feeling lighter already 
My water setup:
At 3:59 a.m., I hit the trail. Saw a few headlamps ahead and eventually caught up. Chatted for a minute, then continued on toward Broken Hand Pass. Things went fine… until they didn’t. Higher up, I got way off route, climbing some sketchy 4th class terrain in the pitch black. Checked GPS. No cairns. Nothing looked right. I waited for the party behind me — they pointed out a giant cairn that I had totally missed. Felt dumb, but got back on track. Topped out on Broken Hand Pass in 51 minutes from camp. Took a breath. First goal: summit Crestone Peak by 6 a.m. The forecast looked good until afternoon. I descended to Cottonwood Lake, filtered water, and made my way to the Red Gully. No headlamps above me, just two behind me. 
That climb was a grind. Loose, steep, and exhausting. I was hyper aware of rockfall and kept my route deliberate. Eventually, I hit the saddle and took a moment to soak in the views. Turned left, and topped out on Crestone Peak at 6:31 a.m. 
Called my dad. He asked what the plan was. I told him I was doing the Traverse. No way I was descending just to regain all that elevation for Needle. He told me to be smart, check the weather, and mitigate risk. I looked south — some clouds near the Blanca group, but nothing urgent. The descent to the Traverse was straightforward. Turned left at the obvious cairn and followed what looked like a line of breadcrumbs. Honestly, it was much more intuitive than I expected — until I got to the Black Gendarme. The 5.2 bulge move looked huge in person. Pictures didn’t do it justice. It’s probably a solid 10-foot climb. But I stemmed up quickly and got it done. 
From there, I kept scrambling to the knife edge, which wasn’t bad at all. But I missed a turn just after it — went too far right when I should’ve gone left. Backtracked, found the white rock, and started up the final headwall. 
That last section is steep and exposed, but solid and fun. I was tired, but it was clean, committing movement. I topped out on Crestone Needle at 7:47 a.m., just under an hour and a half after leaving Peak. 
Summit to myself for five minutes before others arrived and took my photo. Got some beta for the descent: “Stay left if you're looking down.” I found it pretty chill. Id guess the crossover can get tricky if you’re not paying attention. 
Back at Broken Hand Pass, I looked down and realized just how badly I’d botched the ascent earlier. Oh well. Got to camp at 9:14 a.m., filtered more water, and stared up at Humboldt. I was smoked, but I knew if I didn’t do it now, it wasn’t happening. 
Summited Humboldt at 10:34 a.m. — total slog. Took a much-needed break, called my dad, and told him, “I’m done. Lindsey’s not happening.” He agreed — smart call. Back at camp by 12:05 p.m. Packed up and hiked out. Miraculously caught a ride from the 4WD trailhead — my legs thanked me. Truck was still there. I was so relieved. Headed east into the heat, passing the road to Lindsey on the way out. 
I stared down that road as I headed down 69 thinking, It’s right there. But I was wrecked. I didn’t complete my full goal… but man, I found out a lot about myself. I put myself through the wringer, moved with purpose, and had an absolute blast. It didn’t really hit me until I got home. I looked back on it all a few days later and thought, Damn. That’s impressive. Even if I didn’t check every box. Stats Total Time: 8:03:41 Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow): 
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