From the gate closure at 9,950', pass the trailhead sign, cross the foot bridge (
1) and walk 2.5 miles up the old South Colony Lakes road to reach a signed junction. Turn right to follow the standard Humboldt Peak trail through the forest -
2. After 0.6 mile on the trail, cross a rocky area -
3. After nearly a mile on this trail, exit the trees and continue through willows to the north of Lower South Colony Lake -
4. Continue toward Upper South Colony Lake (hidden) and locate a trail junction above the lake -
5. Turn right and continue on the Humboldt trail as it zigzags up a steep slope to reach 12,850', on a saddle just west of Humboldt Peak -
6.
Walk west along the ridge to reach the base of a 13,290-foot point and hike nearly 400' up the somewhat-loose ridge (
7) to gain the top of the point where you'll have an excellent view of the route ahead -
8. Staying on or near the ridge crest, scramble 0.4 mile along this rugged ridge (
9 and
10) to reach a large, flat area called "Bears Playground" -
11. Enter the playground near 13,100', turn right and hike northwest toward the top of unnamed point 13,799', also known as "Obstruction Peak" -
12 and
13. Avoid the temptation to hike directly up the rocks by hiking north for a few hundred feet before angling northwest toward the ridge. Once on the ridge crest, turn left and continue to Obstruction's summit -
14.
Your next goal is to gain Kit Carson Mountain's eastern summit which is actually made up of two points - Columbia Point (13,980') and a slightly lower one, often called "Kitty Kat Carson." Like Kit Carson's western summit, Challenger Point (14,081'), Columbia was named after a U.S. Space Shuttle accident. Leave Obstruction's summit and continue west down the Class 2/2+ ridge to reach the saddle between Obstruction and Kitty Kat Carson/Columbia Point -
15. Staying near the right side of the large "bowl" on Kitty Kat's east face, ascend steep Class 2 terrain (
16 and
17) for 600' to reach the top, where you'll see the summit of Columbia Point only 0.1 mile away -
18. Continuing west, drop 50' on the south side before ascending to the top of Columbia -
19.
