"Fun climb, in spite a there being a huge number of people climbing and on the summit. Not an epic climb in terms of distance or elevation gain, but it's steep all but the first mile. So it will work your legs. Decent trail most of the way, but the last ~1/4 mile is a rock scramble that takes a while to get up or down." — stevebrown • Sep 24, 2020

"Lake Como Road starts out as a wide dirt road but turns into a HC 4WD road less than two miles in. I drove up about 5.1 miles to a parking area in the trees just after the final hairpin switchback in a stock 4Runner equipped with off-road tires. There are multiple parking places along the road on the way up but mostly for one - two vehicles. Much of the road is not too bad but there are places with rock outcrops/boulders that have to be negotiated. The Lake Como Road and trail to the saddle between Blanca and Ellingwood are easy to follow. Once the road ends there's an obvious trail marked with cairns. From the saddle its a steep climb up the ridge to the HP. Noticed that the western shore of Lake Como is a popular camping place. Didn't see any campers beyond that. Cellphone reception (AT&T) was fine too from the lake. The upper parking area I drove to is located at: N37.5619, W105.5496. Its sheltered with fire rings and sufficient space for at least half dozen vehicles. Cell phone reception too with AT&T. No water. I was the only vehicle. After you make the hairpin turn go up the road a bit, the parking area is on your right." — fredbrown585 • Sep 22, 2020

"The peak is not very prominent, but the views from the top are pretty good anyway. Easy route except for the loose dirt & rocks adjacent the glacier was a PITA. Next time we'll put on the cleats and just walk the glacier. The trailer is mapped on the north side of the lower glacier section and south side of the upper glacier section, but there is a trail on both sides. If you are trying to stay off the glacier, the trail on the north side is best" — stevebrown • Sep 22, 2020

"The beginning and the end of this hike are on ATV routes that aren't created for hikers. However, once you get onto the old rail/roadbed, it's a pretty easy follow to the scramble. Took some time scrambling. Loved the long, broad summit and had a ton of fun relaxing for lunch. " — DenverUmphreak • Sep 14, 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