A 14,068 foot peak in the Sangre De Cristro Range, Humboldt is nestled between some of the most iconic mountains in Colorado. I had climbed 14ers before. I had climbed peaks in mid-winter. I was prepared for the cold, for the conditions, and for the stats required to summit. But this peak kicked my ass.
I decided to hike a route called the east ridge, that is really only climbable during winter with a good snowpack. Given that, this route required a full pack; Winter clothes, boots, an axe, and snowshoes. It was heavy. I also made the mistake of attempting this as a day trip from Denver. It was a 3 hour drive to the trailhead, followed by a 15 mile climb with 5,700 feet of elevation gain.
I woke up at 1 AM, drove there, and started the climb. The temperature was much higher than expected, which made for bad snow conditions, mud, and way too many layers. This caused the climb to take significantly longer than anticipated, around 6.5 hours. It was then a 4-hour descent with worsening snow conditions and insane postholing.
On the drive back, I felt like absolute death. Waking up at 5,000 feet in Denver and then immediately spending several hours above 12,000 feet, had me feeling the altitude like I never had before. I made it back safely and gained a new respect for winter climbing at altitude. This 16 hour day completed 14er #11/58, and a another thrilling day in the alpine.
