Hiking The Four-Pass Loop, Maroon Bells Part 1

Fitness should fuel your adventures. For me that meant, jumping at the chance to go on my very first backpacking trek. Most would start with a simple hike out and back; not me. I lunged full-force into it by heading off for a 3 night trip that would require us to trek over 4 mountain passes near Aspen, Colorado. This is part one of a three part series on my adventure hiking the Maroon Bells Four-Pass Loop.

Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop

What is this trail all about, what are the Maroon Bells, and what’s up with a Four-Pass loop?

The trek has been labeled one of the best hikes out there, period. Backpacker magazine listed the trail in their Best Hikes Ever in November 2010 where they said,

In a state that’s chock-full of mesmerizing mountain ranges and superlative vistas, it might seem ambitious to name one hike the best—yet this is unquestionably it. The 26-mile Four-Pass Loop begins at Maroon Lake and its postcard views of the Maroon Bells (the most-photographed peaks in North America, according to the U.S. Forest Service). From there, it spans vast wildflower meadows, tops four passes (each higher than 12,400 feet), and circumnavigates the iconic pyramidal peaks, all the while serving up staggeringly perfect alpine panoramas. Even bad weather didn’t mar Michael Lanza’s trek: On this route, an hour of cloudless views is worth a week of sunshine anywhere else.

Need I say more?

Seriously, I had read about this region. I had heard of the amazing views of the peaks shaped like bells, reflecting their rich deep red colors. I had thought backpacking would be fun; a great escape from the cubicle-jungle.

Trailer to Backpack

But before going something fundamental had to change. I had to dig into what backpacking was all about.

Oh I have spent lots of time out in the wilderness, most of which was in the woods of upper Minnesota. I was comfortable navigating with map, compass, even without the modern techno-gadget of my GPS. I was comfortable with the concept of camping out.

But my progression in camping has taken a different route than that of most backpackers, at least from my perception. I had started out in tents. I had canoe camped in the beautiful woods of the Minnesota Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). I had carried 60+ pounds in a canvas Duluth pack across portages.

Then when I got married and we started camping with kids, things changed. My spacious Eureka two-man tent didn’t cut it any more. We reverted to larger tents, tents that allowed you to stand up straight within. Then … we ventured into pop-up campers. From pop-up campers, we moved to hybrid campers with fold-out beds. Each progression adopted the mindset that if you might need it; bring it.

That mentality served my underlying habit of thinking through contingencies. I was often prepared for each and every contingency. While that was good with a 23 foot camper, it was proving a bit disastrous for backpacking.

How was I going to pack everything. I needed everything, right?

Less is More when Backpacking

I started tossing things out. I embraced the mentality that less is more when backpacking. For me to make it out of the parking lot, then over four mountain passes I must find a way to carry less.

When we get in shape to head out on adventures, think through the possibilities, the contingencies, but then get serious and decide which contingencies really deserve a response. Most don’t.

Once I shifted my mindset, my packing list quickly transformed into a something that would actually fit in a backpack; wait I didn’t have a backpack.

Gear – Where Would I Get Gear?

Don’t buy when you can borrow.

I’m an engineer deep at heart. Not just trained as someone earning an engineering degree, but someone schooled in the practice of finding ways to apply things we know to solve unmet needs cheaper and more efficiently than others. Strange, how that foundation rolls over into all aspects of life.

This trek to the Maroon Bells was no different. I would find ways. I immediately recalled hearing a friend say he had too much outdoor gear. Too much outdoor gear – hmmmm. Yes, I got a hold of him right away. The response was to show up with a list of what I needed; he had it and I could use it.

That was perfect; well almost. See I, like most guys, have a innate attraction to new toys, new gear. I couldn’t just borrow everything; there had to be some acquisition in it for me.

There were two key acquisitions for the trek, and they will be discussed in depth in part 2 and 3 of this series. I had to get these two new toys:

1. Camping Accommodations – Hennessy Hammock
2. Offroad Footwear – Inov-8 Mudroc 290

Stay tuned for those posts later this week.

Practice Makes Perfect

Even after collecting the gear. I couldn’t quite understand how anyone, including me, could possibly carry all that gear for more than 26 miles.

See my frame of reference was that horrid backpack from our BWCA adventures. A Duluth pack is a canvas box with a couple straps. Check this thing out …

We had these things loaded with well over 60 pounds then had to carry them a few miles across portages between bodies of water. It was miserable.

That’s all I knew about carrying camping gear on my own back. The more I tried to recall those portages with the Duluth pack the more I started wondering if I should back out of the trip.

But I knew I was in shape, perhaps the best shape of my life. Seriously, Tough Mudder invited me to compete in the World’s Toughest Mudder competition.

So … practice makes perfect. If I was going to haul this pack for 26 miles, I better strap it on and start practicing. We found some shorter treks near town to go explore. I’d load the pack up with everything I could.

Modern technology is amazing. Unlike that medieval torture device that I had experienced with the Duluth pack, this backpack was amazing. Strap it on, adjust the straps, and BAM. It was almost like it wasn’t there. Sure I could feel the load, but it seemed to move with me. It didn’t strain my upper back, in fact it didn’t strain at all.

Practice makes perfect – so if you plan an adventure find ways to try it out by training in situations that are as close as possible to what you will actually be doing.

Don’t Let It Rain On Your Parade

Weather.

Some will let weather govern their every action. And for us, rain nearly cancelled our parade. The weather in Colorado can be tough to predict and it can be downright dangerous if you get caught in it while up on one of those high mountain passes with no shelter at all.

The weather for Thursday night and Friday looked questionable. It wasn’t bad storms, but it was wet. It looked like it was going to rain both days.

So we had a decision. Go …. or not.

I had some selling to do. We had rain gear. We had camping hammocks that could be setup without getting wet even if the ground was completely saturated. (Try doing that in a tent.) We were prepared. Both us of also had plenty of other plans for the surrounding weekends. We both knew this was our chance.

We decided to just do it. If it rained we had rain gear and would make the best of it.

The Trail

There are a few different ways to hike the loop, we decided to travel counter-clockwise.

Thursday Night – Maroon Lake, Crater Lake and up to Overlook Camp Site

Upon arriving at the gate the rain started. We got setup and started hiking in the rain. There was an unbelievable peace about it. With the gentle rain, everything seemed quiet. What a perfect way to disconnect. No cell phones. No email. No distractions. Just the amazing beauty of the Maroon Bells.

We got to our campsite, which is on the way to towards Buckskin pass. It was cloudy and the sun was setting as we arrived. We got our hammocks setup in the drizzle and crashed. We were here and it was on. We were actually doing this.

The morning felt like scenes from The LORD Of The Rings. These majestic mountains sheltered from sight by the clouds. We’d get glimpses of them through the clouds and we realized that we had the most amazing overlook campsite.

Here was a our view while enjoying our breakfast and coffee.

Friday – Buckskin Pass to Snowmass Lake

We headed out to conquer our first pass, Buckskin pass at 12,462 feet. The day wasn’t very long, but had plenty of elevation change. While we started the morning hiking in the mist and rain, the afternoon cleared to a typical Colorado blue sky. We were able to hang out some damp gear to let it dry.

Then we got to relax along the shores of Snowmass Lake. How’s this for a place to relax? Would it be worth doing a few more sets of squats? I thought so.

Saturday – Trail Rider Pass, Hasley Basin, and Waterfall Camp Site

Starting out from Snowmass lake we hiked … up. The scenery we covered may be etched in my head, but it was so hard to capture digitally. I’ve included a few pictures below. But what mattered most was how my mind was relaxing. I could feel it as my worries, to do lists, and streams of new ideas started to settle.

I was disconnecting and loving it. We hiked through Hasley Basin, crossed a stream and encountered this waterfall. It still amazes me to think that we just scurried up the side of the ridge to find our campsite up near the top of the falls near the stream.

Sunday – Fravert Basin, Frigid Air Pass, West Maroon Pass, and Back Out

The last day was our marathon day. I could have easily spent another day. Could have stopped and explored more of Fravert Basin’s beauty. We were on our way out and the pace showed. We made it up Frigid Air pass, then kept going up and over West Maroon Pass, then to long decent back down to our starting place back past both Crater and Maroon Lake.

No injuries. No accidents. No regrets – well, except that we had to leave.

Better yet, I was still feeling fine. No soreness in my legs. I had carried my 48 pound backpack more than 26 miles. (I’m no ultra-light backpacker, but much less than my trailer hauled around). And I would do it again. This was a blast.

What I discovered is that backpacking let me get away. Get away just far enough that I realized what my eyes were seeing was only seen by few. My mind found ways to relax, recover, and rejuvenate.

The Images

No trip through the Maroon Bells can occur without images. Below are just a stream of images from our journey.

What’s Your Next Adventure?

So don’t just workout to fit in your skinny jeans. That can be very short-lived. Instead fit in those skinny jeans, then pick some adventures. Let your fitness fuel your adventures. Get outside of the cubicle; remember there’s life outside the box.

Do you have an adventure that you’d love to do? Something that you’d love to try if you only had the opportunity?

I loved trekking through the Maroon Bells. My legs and lungs kept going. My workouts paid off and carried me through countryside most people will never see with their own eyes. It was amazing. Yes, it fueled my motivation to keep working out.

Let’s hear your thoughts.