Holy Cross Wilderness Backpacking – August 2016

Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado – August 2016

For our annual Colorado backpacking trip in 2016, Christian and I traveled to the Holy Cross Wilderness. The area is named after the Mount of the Holy Cross, a 14,007 foot mountain with a cross on its face created from snow in deep ravines. I had known about the Holy Cross Wilderness, located in western Colorado near Vail, since my earliest hiking days.  But doing a hike there hadn’t been on my list until many years after I started to backpack. It is a beautiful area with a sinister mystique. Logistically it is more complicated than most Colorado hikes I’ve done. Ultimately, it was an incredibly scenic, challenging, high-altitude hike in Colorado’s backcountry.

William Henry Jackson, Mountain of the Holy Cross, 1873

Backstory on the Holy Cross Wilderness hike

Long before I started backpacking in 2010, I read trail books to get my hiking ‘fix.’ It never crossed my mind back then that I might actually backpack someday on the very trails I read about. One of the first books I purchased was Dave Muller’s ‘Hikes in Colorado’s Holy Cross Wilderness.’ I don’t know what attracted me to that specific book. Probably the sacred-sounding name of the wilderness area. But even though it was one of my first trail book purchases, I didn’t do much with it. I barely glanced at it before putting it on the bookshelf to sit unread for many years. But years later, as I was planning for my 2016 western hikes, the Holy Cross Wilderness again caught my attention.

Driving to Colorado

Pre-trip preparations and the start of the long drive west

This would be a trip with everyone participating – me, Christian, Jaden and Bailey. That always makes the pre-trip preparations a bit more stressful and time-consuming. All the gear required to get two backpacks for the humans ready, as well as one pack for Bailey, needs to be found and prepped. Jaden is getting a bit older, and his back legs are weak, so he no longer carries his own pack. Making it even more complicated is we were anticipating one night of car camping at Half Moon Trailhead the night before the hike. Eventually everything was ready and we got the long drive started. We made the right turn onto I-70 heading west. It wasn’t long before the dogs settled into their places for a snooze.

West on I-70 through the night

Spending the day before hiking in Dillon, Colorado

The day before we started hiking, we stayed at the Best Western Ptarmigan Lodge in Dillon, Colorado. It was a little pricey ($150 per night), but they were dog-friendly, and the location couldn’t be beaten. The Lodge was right across the street from the beach on Dillon Reservoir. As soon as we settled in our room, we took the doggies for a swim in the reservoir. They were in heaven! After the long hours confined to the car, the exercise and refreshing water must have felt incredible. There was a breeze, and sailboats took advantage to speed across the reservoir. In the distance, the area of the Holy Cross Wilderness was visible, where we would hike starting tomorrow. After the long drive, it was the perfect evening before hiking.

Plan for the hike

Pre-hike logistics

Our plan for the hike was logistically complicated. We would drive up the rough Tigiwon Forest road to its end at the Half Moon Trailhead. The hike on the Fall Creek Trail would start there. I would drop off Christian and the dogs at the trailhead and then drive seven miles downhill to the Cross Creek Trailhead. That trailhead is where the hike would end four days later. I would park the car at the trailhead and then ‘somehow’ find my way back uphill to the Half Moon Trailhead. Ideally, that would involve hitching a ride, but I was prepared to hike the seven miles, uphill, if necessary. One trip report I had read while doing research indicated hiking the seven miles is what they had to do because of no cars on Tigiwon Road. Oh boy…!

Hiking plan

Once we started hiking, the plan got more simple. On the first day, we would hike uphill on the Fall Creek Trail four miles to Lake Constantine. There were numerous campsites around the lake, and we would stay the night there. We would go over Fall Creek Pass early on the second day and downhill to Holy Cross City. After sightseeing at Holy Cross City, we would head to Fancy Lake for our campsite on night #2. Fancy Pass would be our first milestone on the third day, then downhill on the Fancy Creek Trail to the Cross Creek Trail. Our goal would be to get back down to the treeline for camp #3. The final day would be all downhill on the Cross Creek Trail to the car at the Cross Creek Trailhead. 

1st day in the Holy Cross Wilderness – to Lake Constantine

Complicated pre-hike logistics – Tigiwon Road, Half Moon Trailhead

The Holy Cross Wilderness hike begins on the Fall Creek Trail

I felt euphoric as the hike started, even though it was all uphill on the Fall Creek Trail. This Holy Cross Wilderness hike had required enormous effort before we could even get it started. Between the long drive out to Colorado and the pre-hike shuttling complexities, there was a lot of stress. Now that the hiking had started, I felt I could just relax and breathe again. And it felt great! The dogs felt it too. They bounded down the trail with unusual energy, even for those two seasoned trail dogs. Half Moon Trailhead was packed with cars and hikers, mostly day hikers. The Mount of the Holy Cross was a ’14er’ (14,000 foot+ mountain), a relatively short five-mile hike from the trailhead. But after three miles, we had the trail basically to ourselves.

View looking back toward Half Moon Trailhead from Fall Creek Trail

Fall Creek Trail to Lake Constantine

Lake Constantine – first campsite in the Holy Cross Wilderness

Lake Constantine came into view, and it was beautiful. The water was calm, and the mountains surrounding the lake were reflected on the surface as if it were a mirror. Numerous tents could be seen set up along the lake’s southwest shore. It wasn’t immediately clear if we would have trouble finding a camp site. But we breathed easier as we approached the primary camping area on the far shore. Numerous available sites could be seen. We went further up the hill from the lake and found a great spot at the base of a rock cliff. There was a perfect view of the lake and plenty of room to set up multiple tents. The rock cliff and pine trees provided shelter from any storms that might come in.

Nice evening in the rain, under the tarp with a campfire

Not long after we got camp set up, the weather deteriorated. It was typical Colorado Rockies ‘monsoon season’ (August) weather. Clear in the morning, thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. Fortunately, we had set up the Zpacks tarp not long before the rain arrived. Our seating area in camp was under a pine tree grove and well protected. In addition, we had built a fire near the opening of the tarp. The heat from the fire was captured within the tarp. Rain, sleet, and ice pellets fell, but we stayed dry and warm. After an appetizer of Packit Gourmet cheese spread, we had a Mountain House dinner that tasted good in that situation. We stayed up to enjoy the fire and appreciate the Rocky Mountain backcountry setting. It had been a great first day in the Holy Cross Wilderness.

2nd day in the Holy Cross Wilderness – to Hunky Dory Lake

First morning at Lake Constantine – coffee and cold rain

The weather appeared to have improved when we first awoke at Lake Constantine. But the blue skies didn’t last long. The rain started less than an hour after emerging from my Zpacks tent. This time it looked like it was here to stay. A uniformly thick gray sky rolled in along with icy cold temperatures, rain, sleet, and ice pellets. The Dunkin Donuts coffee sipped by the lake was incredibly satisfying. Our first order of business that morning was the climb up to the first pass of the trip. Fall Creek Pass wasn’t a particularly treacherous ascent, but it would be entirely exposed and above treeline. In those conditions, with temperatures in the 30s and icy rain (at best), the hike over the pass could be deadly.

Miserable morning waiting (hoping) to start hiking

A break in the weather – making a run for it!

Starting the climb to Fall Creek Pass

Last stretch of hiking before the summit – racing the weather

Descent from Fall Creek Pass

Hunky Dory Lake – camp #2 in the Holy Cross Wilderness

Enjoyable afternoon and evening at Hunky Dory Lake

3rd day in the Holy Cross Wilderness – to Cross Creek

Beautiful morning at Hunky Dory Lake – welcome change of weather

The morning at Hunky Dory Lake couldn’t have been more different than our start at Lake Constantine. It was a gorgeous, cloudless, blue-bird Rocky Mountain morning. That was fortunate because we had a long day ahead of us. First on the agenda was a relatively short hike to the Holy Cross City area. That is an abandoned mining town with old log cabins still standing. I was looking forward to some great ‘photo ops’ there. After Holy Cross City, it was a few miles until we started the climb to Fancy Pass. It was important that we get to Fancy Pass as early as possible and hopefully by noon. Even though the morning was perfect, I knew it wasn’t going to stay that way. Monsoon season (August) in the Rockies is VERY predictable. After some coffee and breakfast we started hiking.

Short hike to Holy Cross City – with one ‘off-trail’ moment

Wow, it was a pleasant morning to hike! I couldn’t help but think about what a difference 24 hours could make. The trail from Hunky Dory Lake was downhill and a pleasant walk through the woods. Soon after we started, the trail came to French Creek. A sign indicated the site was some sort of staging area. We soon realized the creek was used as an off-road Jeep trail. Whoa! Unfortunately, our momentary amazement got the best of us, and we missed a turn. Our off-trail moment lasted only a quarter mile before we realized our mistake. The trail ascended from Cross Creek, the start of the uphill that would eventually take us to Fancy Pass. We came to some mining ruins and knew Holy Cross City was close. 

Holy Cross City

Steep climb to Fancy Pass

No doubt about it, the climb to Fancy Pass is memorable! It is one of the steepest climbs to a Pass I’ve ever hiked – 1000 vertical feet over the last half mile. Fortunately, as you hike it, you know that the climb is relatively short, and the pass (your objective) is in clear view the entire time. It didn’t hurt that the day was perfect for hiking. Sunny with temperatures in the low 70s and no humidity. Despite the brutal grade, it was an enjoyable climb. The higher we went, the better the views became back toward Holy Cross City. About halfway up the climb, we passed Fancy Lake, where we had planned to camp the night before. Just before the pass, the trail steepened further. The last quarter mile was brutal and slow. At 12,500 feet elevation, we reached Fancy Pass.

Downhill to Cross Creek with thunderstorms building

Reaching the summit of Fancy Pass is one of my best memories from all the years of backpacking. Standing on any pass in the Rocky Mountains can be an emotional experience. A climb to a pass always requires significant effort, but the reward is well worth the effort. The first two days of our hike had been challenging, and the final climb to Fancy Pass was especially so. As we stood on the pass, the views, the moment, the accomplishment, and the companionship all hit home to choke me up a bit. Cross Creek was clearly visible some 1500 vertical feet below. It looked like a landscape in miniature as if we could reach out and touch it. That green valley so far below would be our home tonight. But we had to get there first. With dark clouds building, we started our descent.

Thunderstorm over Fancy Pass – just after we crossed over!

Frustrating search for camp – emotional low point of the hike

After the high on Fancy Pass, our mood deteriorated. In hindsight, fatigue played a significant role in the emotional decline. We were tired! And ending our hiking day in an excellent camp dominated our thoughts. Well, that and the dark storm clouds and thunder that were rapidly starting to surround us. The storms were down the valley, but they could be heard, and they were getting closer. The problem was that we were just starting to get down to the treeline, and there were no decent campsites. We picked a spot we thought might work and started setting up. But it was exposed, and the wind howled through it. We gave up, packed up again, and kept hiking. That moment was the emotional low point of our entire hike.

Camp in Cross Creek valley – last campsite in Holy Cross Wilderness

4th day in the Holy Cross Wilderness – downhill to trailhead

Last morning in camp in Cross Creek valley

The emotional roller coaster continued. Our night before had been wonderful. Enjoying dinner under the tarp, warm and dry, while rain, sleet, and thunderstorms raged. I don’t think I had ever seen the dogs that content before. Sleeping under the down jackets just behind our sitting log. It was one of the best backcountry camping nights I’d ever had. But in the middle of the night, Bailey threw up. It was, quite literally, a mess! I had little available to clean it up with, but I managed. Then she threw up two more times before morning. When I woke up, she wouldn’t get out of the tent. I was concerned I might have to carry her the twelve miles to the car! But I gave her the broth from some ramen noodles, then the noodles too. Eventually, she recovered enough to hike.

Hiking ‘downhill’ 12 miles to the Cross Creek Trailhead

In theory, our last day of hiking was all downhill (2000 vertical feet) to the car. But it was also 12+ miles. And as we found out the hard way, it wasn’t downhill as you might envision. Those stretches that were downhill were generally steeply downhill. That made it slow, rough on the knees and required constant concentration. Short but steep uphill sections would follow the downhill stretches. It was slow going and exhausting. The hiking had started under gloomy skies with steady misty rain. But the further down the hill we hiked, the better the weather got. The sun was out when we reached the flatter, bottomland area a few miles from the trailhead. We crossed one last bridge over Cross Creek in a rocky canyon near the end. Then like zombies, we limped into the trailhead. Our Holy Cross Wilderness hike was finished.

Conclusion – Holy Cross Wilderness Backpacking 2016

As I reflect on our Holy Cross Wilderness hike many years later, it still makes me smile. It remains to this day, one of my favorite trips. The hike occurred in what I like to call my ‘young and dumb’ hiking phase. We had just enough experience to know what we were doing but not enough to have any fear of what might go wrong. The Holy Cross Wilderness hike may have been one of the last hikes from that wonderfully naive period. Interestingly, Bailey getting sick that last night was one of those lessons that stuck with me. From then on, I would always have more concern, or fear, about what could happen when hiking with two dogs. I would never be that carefree again. But that was later. I’ll always remember the Holy Cross Wilderness hike as a great high-altitude Colorado hike with Christian and the dogs.

Enjoying the view at Fancy Pass toward Cross Creek valley