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.

Maroon Bells Loop Hike Day 3

July 28th, 2008

I think I slept 10-hours, which was exactly what I needed.  The air of this new day was fresh, and thankfully, I was feeling like a million bucks - no headache!  I finally licked the whole altitude sickness. Lauren and I made our usual breakfast (granola cereal), packed up our gear, and we began our trek. 

 

The trail skirted the North Fork Creek, revealing even more dramatic falls - however the trail also began its own steep, downward trek.  After a quarter mile of knee jarring hiking, we came down into a lush meadow, and to our right was a stunning cascade of falls that Pete Coors would be proud to use in one of his ads. Lauren and I paused to take pictures and marvel at the beauty.

We were at 10,400-feet, our lowest ele

vation since our beginning at Maroon and Crater Lakes. The vegetation continued to be lush, and the flowers were ever more plentiful.  Again, more columbines, daisies, paintbrush, bluebells, and countless flowers I could not identify lined both sides of the trail.  Lauren and I were shocked at the numbers of flowers in this valley, and of course I snapped more pictures.

Following this showcase of flowers began a grueling 2,000-foot climb to the top of Trail Rider Pass, which would provide some of the most adventure and drama on this trip.  For one thing, this climb was steep, and any misstep would literally lead to a terrible fall. Second, the weather was getting ugly early.

Clouds were brewing dark over our pass, and low rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance.  Lauren and I filled up on water and took a lunch break (tuna and pita) at a small stream. Rain was beginning to spit on us, and I told Lauren that if it were to get worse that we would hunker down among a stand of trees.  Lo and behold, the rain started to gain strength, so we retreated to the trees and pulled out our umbrellas. The rain, however, was short lived. While we waited, we saw another hiker (the only other person we saw all day!) walk by and make his way up towards the pass.  So, we resumed our climb.

We climbed up further until we finally had a slight descent into a high meadow with a tarn and several rock and tree outcroppings.  Finally, we could see where the trail led up to the pass. Unfortunately, there was more rumbling and I even saw a flash of lightning out of the corner of my eye.  Although we could see the other hiker ahead of us climbing toward the top, I felt that it would be best to pitch the tent in a low area and wait out the impending storm. Once again it began to rain, and immediately Lauren and I pitched the tent and hunkered down.

For two hours we waited in the tent for the storm to pass.  At times, the storm looked like it was going to break, but then the rain would pick up again. Around 3:00 blue skies emerged, and the sun shined, so we packed up the tent and resumed our climb.

We picked up where we left off with a continued steep climb. Although Lauren and I had two hours of rest in the tent, our legs had cooled down, so we were trying to gain our stride again on this uphill.  The climb was slow. 

The view from Trail Rider Pass was breathtaking, but short lived.  Instead of taking a snack break, Lauren wanted to keep moving down the other side of the pass.  I couldn't blame her, since we were cooped up in the tent for two hours.  Nonetheless, I had to get some pictures. Perhaps one of the more dramatic sights on the trip was at Trail Rider pass, as we gazed down upon Snowmass Lake, a placid, turquoise mass of water nestled at the bottom of steep, surrounding mountains. What a sight!

The descent down Trail Rider pass was technical.  First, we had clouds brewing again, so we had to make a quick descent if we wanted to avoid the possibility of lightning.  Second, we had to cross a few snowfields, which ran along very steep slopes - one bad step and either Lauren or I were going sliding down the mountain. So we took our time going down the mountain.

The trail came within a stones throw of Snowmass Lake before heading off toward Snowmass Creek.  We were at the base of a mountain, and deep in the woods, which made for both good and bad.  Good in that it started to rain again, and we had the trees to provide cover, and bad since we were in vicious mosquito territory. The afternoon had also grown to early evening, and were were looking for a place to camp and rest our weary bodies.

As we made our way through the woods, we saw more tents than we had seen through the whole trip - my fear was that we might be hunting for campsites late in the day.  We eventually came to Snowmass Creek, and crossed it on a double log traverse. After crossing, we really kept our eyes peeled for sites.  We followed the creek for about a quarter of a mile before we came to a fork in the trail.  The left fork would take us up further on the trail, and the right would lead us down toward the creek and a possible campsite, so we took the right fork.

About 100-yards down, we climbed the hillside up to a relatively flat area. The area did not appear to get much usage, but we did see an old fire pit with old, wet coals that were scattered about. Lauren spotted a suitable site to pitch the tent, so we called the site home for our last night on the trail.  We cooked up my ramen-rice-dehydrated veggie dish, played two games of Scrabble, and then called it a night. Again, the rush of the creek (Snowmass) lulled me to sleep.