"2nd of 9 high points hit on a solo ridge ascent of Mt. Princeton. Climb was not super fun -- steep and stiff due to a morning freeze after some days of fall snowmelt. But the water of Merriam Creek was sweet and looking down the chalk cliffs was incredible. Very worth it. 7th of 9 high points hit on a solo ridge ascent of Mt. Princeton. Nice unranked 13er and a good checkpoint. Incredible view of Antero. Was very happy to reach this point but I started feeling pressed on time at this point so I had to lock in to see if I'd meet my turnaround time. 9th and final high point hit on a solo ridge ascent of Mt. Princeton. I arrived 6 minutes shy of turnaround time and was gassed. Had a snack and layered up and headed down at my turnaround time. Ran into another climber for the first time that day on the final push, I ran into him changing his tire later by the radio towers on the 4x4 road on my way down and was offered a ride down. Shoutout to Nick for making my day with that favor. Happy trails to him." — benyboy • Oct 25, 2024

"It was a spectacular day to climb. September is my favorite month for climbing in Colorado. I estimate that 8 people summitted on this Friday. Traverse across big, jagged boulders on the SE ridge via the main route. There was some steep climbing with some slippery scree near the summit push." — tj-burr • Sep 9, 2022

"My first 14er! Lots of folks at the trailhead on a Tuesday in June, but most of them were headed to the taller and more popular Mt. Harvard. About six of us peaked Mt. Columbia separately, and we all ended up meeting at the top. I was by far the oldest, and going down was hard on my aged knees! (Trekking poles are a must if you're over 50!) Most people avoid this 14er because much of the trail used to get lost in scree. Not much you can do about the scree, but whoever maintains this trail has done a great job in recent years of erecting cairns to mark the way through the confusing parts. " — briansnyder • Jun 28, 2022

"Oh man! This was an epic! After a poor night of sleep (and a 7k ft gain day 2 days prior), we decided to do the Harvard/Columbia traverse. We were slow moving in the morning due to the lack of sleep, but we started early enough that we were arriving at Harvard around the same time as the rest of the world. After a short break, we continued on to Columbia. At first, it wasn't too bad, but then we came to the part where you have to descend to/below 12,800 ft. The descent was steep and unpleasant, but what came next was the worst - the talus filed from hell! We were already exhausted, but had to cross, then climb this ridiculously large talus field. It was the slowest and most dejected that either of us felt on the whole trip, but we kept moving. Eventually, we reached the summit of Columbia about 13 hours after we started (lol). We were joined by another group that was lucky enough to be camped below and had family waiting with dinner. Our time at the summit with them was pleasant, but we had to push on. The descent of Columbia was also slow. The upper part of the trail was super steep and we were sliding quite a bit. Luckily, CFI (Colorado Fourteeners Initiative) has be..." — Kevin • Sep 6, 2020

"Oh man! This was an epic! After a poor night of sleep (and a 7k ft gain day 2 days prior), we decided to do the Harvard/Columbia traverse. We were slow moving in the morning due to the lack of sleep, but we started early enough that we were arriving at Harvard around the same time as the rest of the world. After a short break, we continued on to Columbia. At first, it wasn't too bad, but then we came to the part where you have to descend to/below 12,800 ft. The descent was steep and unpleasant, but what came next was the worst - the talus filed from hell! We were already exhausted, but had to cross, then climb this ridiculously large talus field. It was the slowest and most dejected that either of us felt on the whole trip, but we kept moving. Eventually, we reached the summit of Columbia about 13 hours after we started (lol). We were joined by another group that was lucky enough to be camped below and had family waiting with dinner. Our time at the summit with them was pleasant, but we had to push on. The descent of Columbia was also slow. The upper part of the trail was super steep and we were sliding quite a bit. Luckily, CFI (Colorado Fourteeners Initiative) has be..." — Kevin • Sep 6, 2020