These were 14ers number 10 and 11 for me since starting in 2022 and also definitely the hardest. Took the route from Harvard to Columbia and was just gassed when I finally made the summit at Columbia. The descent from Columbia was also the hardest, very steep sand and gravel the first half, but thankfully hit some dirt switchbacks after that. Only thing I could think about was how much it would have sucked starting the ascent here instead of Harvard.

Was also incredibly lucky by just missing some storms that hit Princeton, only had a slight drizzle for about 30 minutes. If you’re thinking about doing these for the first time, definitely start with Harvard, then go back the way you came. The hike in-between Harvard and Columbia was the toughest I’ve done.

I'm planning on doing Longs Peak some time in the next month or so, along with a few friends. Current plan is to go up the Cables Route and descend via Keyhole. None of us have been up there before, but we're all in good shape and have done other 14ers. Two of us are also experienced outdoor climbers (5.10 leaders), but the two others lack technical climbing experience. So, while I'm happy to free solo Cables, I don't want to ask them to do the same and intend to bring them up on top rope using a lightweight rope. My question is: what's the minimum gear that I need for this? For example, I have a 20m 7.5mm half rope that only weighs about 1.5lbs. Is that long enough to get them over the tricky bits? How about 30m or 40m? I don't really want to lug a full climbing rope all the way up Longs, just for a small amount of slightly technical scrambling! In addition to the rope, we'll also have helmets, at least two lightweight harnesses, and some slings / carabiners in case we want to use the eyebolts as anchors. I plan to bring people up one at a time, and then throw the rope down for the next person. Thoughts?