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Difficulty: Class 2
Trailhead: Half Moon (Tigiwon)
Trailhead Elev.: 10,320 feet
Elevation Gain: 5,600 feet
Trip Length: 12 miles
I decided to take advantage of the full moon on Saturday night to do a moonlight hike on Holy Cross.
I got a late start from Denver, and arrived at Tigiwon Rd. just before 9pm. The road was in good shape, and just about any vehicle should be able to make it up the road (4wd not required). Tigiwon Road
It was already dark when I got to the trailhead parking lot, so I wasted as little time as possible getting on the move. I hit the trail at 9:40 pm. There was no sign of the moon at first, but as I was moving up the trail, I noticed the big, orange glow rising over the ridge, It was beautiful to see it rise, shining through the trees and lighting up the forest. I tried to get some photos, but they just didn't turn out well. I only had to use my Petzl intermittently as the "moonshine" kept the trail fairly well lit.
The trail was very easy to follow all the way down into the creek area, and back up through the trees on the other side, as well as up the north ridge. Once I got to the talus area, however, the trail was more difficult to spot. This was complicated by the fact that it was dark, and the moon was sort of "backlighting" the mountain at this point thereby making it a bit more difficult to see. As I turned to survey the view behind me, I could see all the neighboring mountains lit up by the moon....it was just amazing. In fact, I lost a little more time than I intended because I kept stopping to look at the views.
I kept pushing up the talus until I finally reached the summit at 3:30 Sunday morning. I was wiped out, so I decided to sleep on the summit for a while, and I started my descent at 5:13 am. Summit Marker...Yay! Sunrise at 14K Moon Shot Holy Cross Summit from North Ridge Breakfast!
With the sun up, the return hike felt like an entirely different trip, and I must say that Holy Cross has to be the most beautiful 14er I've seen so far. The summit is beautiful, as are the views, and the trails trough the trees and along the creek are just amazing! Everything was green and lush, with lots of wildflowers everywhere. Trail Back to Creek Creek Crossing Trail Through the Trees
It was 9:15 am when I finally made it back to my car.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
nice sunrise pics and the one looking at the summit, your a better man than I for being able to hold down that frappacino, last time I had any sort of milk product on a 14er, I felt like puking and pooping at the same time. Must've needed some good balance for those log crossings??
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