Holy Cross

At first glance, Mount of the Holy Cross seems like it would be a nice hike, given that it is only 14,004' at the summit.  However, that is not the case.  In fact this one ends up being pretty long because you start out and gain ~1,500' of elevation, just to lose ~1,000' that you have to re-gain after crossing East Cross Creek.  The hike started out nicely, with a good view of the peak coming up around the time I got up that first 1,500'.

At this point, I realized how far away the summit actually is... After crossing East Cross Creek, I made my way up above treeline.

Even with the up-and-down of this trail, the beginning of my hikes always seem to go quickly.  Probably because these portions typically aren't that steep.  But for some reason, that section on the mountains between treeline and before getting to a ridge/shoulder/etc to get to the summit always seems to drudge along.  Today was no different.

Above treelin

Still working my way over

But the good part is that once I finally came to the final ascent to the summit, the remainder seemed to go quickly.  The clouds were starting to look a little grim when I got to the summit so I did not stay long.

By far, the worst part of this hike is having to gain 1,000' of elevation from East Cross Creek on the way "down".  By the time I got to this part of the hike, it was later in the day when the sun was hot and the mosquitoes were loving all the people coming through the creek.  Definitely left with a couple/ton of mosquito bites.

Hike Summary
Date:	Monday, July 8, 2013
Mountain:	Mount of the Holy Cross
Hike Start Time:	6:52 AM
Summit Time:	11:15 AM
Hike End Time:	2:54 PM
Miles:	12.03
Elevation Gain:	4,613