Scramble: RT 14.5 (includes Notch Mountain and Mount of the Holy Cross); 5.75 up from Notch Mountain. Holy Cross Ridge (Point 13831) is a ranked centennial 13er, it is the highest peak along the ridge running south-west of Mount of the Holy Cross and it also marks the highpoint on the Halo Ridge route. I typically don't include ridges on my summit log but I was really compelled to include this one; besides, Tim argued that if I added Notch Mountain, which is an unranked 13er, I HAD to include Holy Cross Ridge! Halo Ridge is a commiting route; there is two ranked 13ers and an unranked one to ascend along the way, there is also no sensible escape route off the ridge. Lucky for us, the weather was very stable and we still had plenty of energy to complete the traverse to Mount of the Holy Cross. After a fine break at the Notch Mountain Shelter, we resumed our trek; our objective was still over 3 kilometers away. As the ridge circles the Bowl of Tears, different aspects of Mount of the Holy Cross are revealed. The Bowl of Tears is absolutely stunning and was also the source of much of our humour on this hike; you know: long hike, tired, still so far, boo hoo hoo, crying and filling the bowl with tears..... OK, guess you had to be there.... The numerous lakes of striking blue colours on the south sides of the ridge made me daydream of a tranquil canoe-camping trip; Constantine Lake and the Tuhare Lakes sit in high alpine meadows, they are very inviting. The scenery along this ridge is breathtaking to say the least. We continued mostly on trail segments and talus, up the first highpoint, then the next and so on. The hiking was pleasant, even with the height gain and loses. We took the time to enjoy ourselves, converse and take pictures. We stopped for a quick break at the top of Holy Cross Ridge, which happens the be the last highpoint before reaching Mount of the Holy Cross. I was excited, the summit was close and within reach! This had been a superb traverse; when I looked back at Notch Mountain, I couldn't believe we had travelled such a distance. The hour was getting late, we didn't linger too much and soon resumed our trek. The final stretch to the prized 14er is short, we were both elated!!
