Maroon Bells Loop Hike Day 4

Our last day on the trail. Lauren and I decided the night before that we would get up a little earlier (6:30) so we could get back to the parking lot between 12:00 and 1:00 to meet Blaine. It was actually 7:00 by the time we got out of or sleeping bags, but we managed to eat breakfast, break camp, and get on the trail by 7:45. The day was bright and beautiful, and the temperature, although cool, was perfect for hiking.

Once again, and fortunately the last time for us, we had a sharp incline up to the top of the pass. Our pass for the day was Buckskin Pass (12,462), but fortunately for us we were starting out at an elevation of about 11,000-feet, so the climb was not as brutal as the previous day. Nonetheless, it was work.

For much of the morning we hiked in the shadow of the mountain, and as we approached tree line we saw the mountains behind us emblazed by the morning sun. Ahead of us we also began to make out the location of our pass (location was confirmed by another backpacker we met on the trail). Our hike eventually transformed into a wide-open meadow with 360-degree sweeping views of the mountains around us.




The hike to the pass gave way to more gradual climbs and long zig-zagging switchbacks through low shrubs and grass, which almost reminded me of the terrain leading up to Frigid Air Pass. Lauren and I made it to a ridge with a steep snow bank below, but it was not the pass. The trail followed the ridge up a little higher to a small rock cornice where it finally crossed the shoulder of the ridge. Out of breath, Lauren and I happily congratulated each other and took a well-deserved break, where we had splendid views of the deep Minnehaha Creek Valley below and the Maroon Bells, which flanked us to the south. Life was good.


After about 20-minutes we donned the packs for the final descent down the mountain. The first couple hundred feet were steep and tricky, since the trail hit a dead end in that same snow bank mentioned earlier. We had to cut down the steep descent over loose dirt, knobby rocks, and grass, which made footing precarious. We reconnected with the trail, and as we made our way down, we passed by countless day hikers, who had come to visit the pass for the day. Eventually, we reached the waters of the Minnehaha Creek, which we would cross and follow for the remainder of our descent.


On the way down, the Maroon Bells once again loomed ominously above, and the gentle, playful Minnehaha creek now followed a deep, rocky, foreboding chasm. Our trail was once again swallowed by deep forests, which gave limited views to the pass we had previously visited. Over some lengthy stretches, the trail opened up to clearings created by past avalanches - many trees were uprooted and scattered like Pick-Up Sticks on the floor. Lauren was experiencing some soreness in her knee and ankle on the way down, and the downhill was doing nothing to make her hike any easier. However, she was a trooper and dealt with the pain.

From above, we could see Crater Lake again, and after another 10-minutes of hiking, we arrived at a large trail sign, which signified our completion of the loop hike. We congratulated each other briefly, but I think Lauren's focus was more on her discomfort and finishing the trail, so we continued down the approach trail to the parking lot. Again, we ran into tons of day hikers along the way.

It was not until we reached Maroon Lake that we both felt the sense of accomplishment of having completed the hike. We were now talking about what kind of soda we were going to drink to celebrate, and we even took time to have few pictures taken along Maroon Lake. We also wondered if Blaine was in the parking lot waiting for us. We didn't have to wonder long, because as we approached the parking area, we saw Blaine coming toward us. Blaine and Lauren hugged each other, and on the way to the car we all talked about our adventures: Blaine about his trip to the hospital and Glenwood Springs, and ours about the Maroon Bells Loop.