Colorado 2014

Trip Summary: August 2 - August 10, 2014
1) 3-day mountaineering trip to Snowmass Mountain near Aspen, CO
2) Mountain biking in Breckenridge, CO
3) Day hike up Mount Cameron, Mount Lincoln, and Mount Democrat near Breckenridge, CO
4) Mountain biking and fishing near Breckenridge and Lake Dillon

Snowmass Mountain - 3 day mountaineering trip in Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness near Aspen, CO
After seeing Snowmass Mountain the previous year during our backpacking trip in the Maroon Bells, my friend Alan and I wanted to come back and climb Snowmass Mountain. We actually planned to climb Capitol Peak as well, but the weather ended up turning us back before we even got to see the mountain. We took a different trail than the previous year to approach Snowmass Lake, and planned to make a loop of Snowmass Mountain and Capitol Peak in 4 days. We planned our trip from a report by Josh Friesema which he called SnowCap Loop, planning to take an extra day and camp at Snowmass Lake before climbing Snowmass Mountain. There are some other piecemeal descriptions of this route on Summitpost. The mountains in this range are absolutely beautiful, and we had a fantastic trip, but did not successfully summit Snowmass Mountain or even get to see Capitol Peak up close. The primary factor in this was the weather - we had rain every single day of our trip in Colorado. And by leaving so late in the summer, most of the snow had melted from the face of the mountain, exposing treacherously unstable and slippery rock.

Topo map of our trip to Snowmass Mountain. Red outlines the planned trip, black is the actual trip.

We had planned to hike in to Snowmass Mountain using Maroon Snowmass Trail from the trail head near Snowmass Village. Then, after camping at the lake, we would have contoured around until we reached Snowmass Mountain. At about 12,000ft we planned to do a gear dump and top out the summit, climb back down and collect our gear, and camp below Heckert Pass on the cliffs overlooking the lake. The next day we planned to cross Heckert Pass and the Pierre Lakes basin below, climb up the Wandering Dutchman Couloir to K2, cross the Knife Edge ridge to the summit of Capitol Peak, and then descend to Moon Lake for the night. We then planned to bushcrash our way out following West Snowmass Creek until we reached West Snowmass Trail. As it happened, the weather conditions convinced us to abort our first summit attempt halfway up Snowmass Mountain, and at our gear dump at 12,000ft during our second attempt the next day, deteriorating weather forced us down again and we decided to leave. Next year, Alan and I plan to leave much earlier in the summer when there will be much more snowcover, and less chance for thunderstorms. We plan to climb Mount Sneffels near Telluride, and then attempt this same trip to summit Snowmass Mountain and Capitol Peak.

Prius packed to the gills again for backpacking and biking.

I've listed the equipment we brought for this trip below. We tried to pack lighter for this trip and take an extra day to acclimatize, which significantly improved our speed. My investment in a new Osprey Aether 70 backpack made my life much easier than the world of pain I experienced the previous year with an old pack cutting into my shoulders. For food, we again bought dried and/or lightweight foods at Walmart the night before, and repackaged in Ziplock-bags.



Equipment:

Backpack (55-85L) Helmet (rock climbing) Ice axe Pack rain cover Hiking boots Gaiters Sandals (for stream crossings) Carabiners and straps as needed Hydration reservoirs (150oz+), and/or water bottles Headlamp (and extra batteries and possibly even an extra headlamp) Sleeping pad Sleeping bag (and compression bag) Knife Sun glasses Trekking poles (optional) Compression shorts (or other moisture-wicking underwear) Hiking socks Short-sleeve shirt (moisture-wicking, NOT cotton) Shorts (exercise-type, I use mountain bike shorts) Long hiking pants (NOT jeans) Base shirt layer (Under Armor mock or similar) Long underwear top (PolyPro or similar) Long underwear bottoms (PolyPro or similar) Polar fleece (lightweight) Soft-shell jacket Raincoat Rain pants Winter hat Baseball hat (or other hat for sun protection) Mountaineering socks

Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, soap (all small travel versions) Chapstick Chamois (to use as a small towel) Bowl, spoon/fork, cup Ditty bags, Ziplock bags, and hard case (for camera or other electronic items) Camera (and batteries) or smartphone (optional) Glasses, contact case, contact solution (as needed) Hearing aid batteries, any other personal items (as needed) Backpacking tent Backpacking stove (and fuel) Lighter (and/or matches) Rope (for hanging packs) Bear-proof bags (for storing food) First-aid kit Water filtration Bear mace Bear bell Maps (and compass) Aspirin (for altitude) Sunscreen Bug spray Cooking pot Ladle or spoon (for cooking) Toilet paper Sewing kit Water jug (Reliance)

Cliff jumping at Devil's Punchbowl.

We drove straight from Austin, Texas to Pueblo, Colorado and stayed at a Courtyard Marriott for the night. Along the way, we both read a field manual on weather forecasting since we knew we were likely to see inclement weather during our trip. We enjoyed a local brewery and explored the River Walk, and spent the next day driving to Aspen. On the way, we stopped at a mountaineering shop so Alan could pick up an ice axe, and on our descent from Independence Pass we stopped at Devil's Punchbowl to do some cliff jumping. We spent the day in Aspen playing frisbee in the parks and browsing the shops, and then after a delicious dinner at the Red Onion, we set off for the trail head. Our Prius made it down the road that leads in from Snowmass Village, but given that it was raining, we doubted we would be able to make it back out that way. Fortunately, the route on County Rd. 11 is much less rough. We camped out at the trail head the night before, and were disturbed several times by some pretty strange folk, resulting in very little sleep. I recommend staying in a hotel or public campground the night before a big hike - you can't dismiss feeling secure when you're trying to sleep.

Day 1 - August 4, 2014

Arriving at Snowmass Lake.

After a very restless night, we awoke early in the morning and prepared for our trek. Following the Maroon-Snowmass Trail, we crossed through some gates into and out of private land before officially entering the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. The hike was pretty uneventful, but the scenery was beautiful. With no mountain passes, we moved quickly. We encountered several rain showers, forcing us to don our rain gear. We reached the log jam, and crossed Snowmass Creek by balancing precariously on these floating logs. As it was raining, the logs were slippery and wet, and whilst getting some quality GoPro footage, I lost my footing and fell into the lake. Not once, but twice. I was thoroughly soaked. We arrived at Snowmass Lake, soaking wet and cold, early in the afternoon and set up camp. While refilling our water from the creek, a rainstorm drenched our campsite, forming a small river through our tent. After some thought, we relocated to a more sheltered area. We then made dinner over the camp stove. After stowing our gear for the night, we hung our packs far from our tent, and set our wet clothes out to dry. It continued to rain off and on, and the cold, humid air meant that nothing was dry in the morning.


Day 2 - August 5, 2014

Our route up Snowmass to the gear dump and traverse to camp (red star).

Alan climbing up the headwall.

On the morning of our summit attempt of Snowmass Mountain, the weather did not look too promising. Fog and wispy clouds obscured the summit of Snowmass, and the sky was completely overcast. Feeling discouraged, we decided that there was a chance the clouds could burn off later in the day and that we should give it a shot. If we changed our mind during our ascent, we planned to bail off the mountain onto the cliffs overlooking Snowmass Lake and camp, which is exactly what happened. After donning my rain gear, since the vegetation was soaking wet with dew, we bushcrashed our way along the overgrown trail that followed the lake to the base of Snowmass Mountain.

By 7:45am, we started our ascent of the headwall of Snowmass Mountain. The lower headwall, which rises about 1,000ft above the lake, was a mix of scree and gravel. The rocks and boulders were very unstable and even the standard route, which was cairned quite well, was crap. We had several close calls with small boulders slipping loose. The steepest section of the route up the headwall runs parallel to a waterfall, which proved somewhat tricky to climb due to the slipperiness of the rocks. After topping out this section, the route flattens out, and we reached a little grassy platform with boulders set up to act as a basic shelter, which we decided we would use as our gear dump if we continued our attempt at the summit.

Camp 2 on Snowmass Mountain.

While debating whether to continue, the weather worsened, as the wind picked up and it began drizzling and darker clouds rolled in and obscured the summit. Being on the east face of the mountain, we were on the leeward side and could not see what weather was coming towards us. We decided that the conditions were not favorable to climb and seemed to be worsening, so we decided to bail off to the cliffs over Snowmass Lake. We traversed over to the top of these cliffs, and descended to about 11,700ft, just at the top of the treeline, and discovered a campsite. It was protected from rockfall from the mountain by a ravine, and the treecover gave some sense of safety from lightning as it wasn't as exposed. We quickly set up our tent in preparation for a possible storm, but the weather cleared up and it turned out to be a bright and sunny day. We laid out all of our wet gear to dry, and set about hanging our packs, filtering water, and preparing dinner. We also made a campfire in an existing fire ring, which was difficult at that altitude and with limited tinder. We were treated to a beautiful sunset, but after going to sleep, we worried about lightning as we noticed some heat lightning illuminating the tent. We were spared the drama of a full-on lightning storm, and we slept pretty well.

Day 3 - August 6, 2014

At the gear dump location at 12,000ft on Snowmass Mountain where we decided to turn around and head down.

Steep, loose scree made this feel dangerous.

We woke up before dawn, but not as early as we probably should have, with a renewed ambition to summit Snowmass. After packing up camp, we set off to traverse the boulder fields back to our gear dump spot. We reached it by 8am, but already big cumulus clouds were beginning to build, and the sky over the summit darkened. With great reluctance, but mutual understanding, we decided we did not feel safe to climb, and aborted our second summit attempt. The descent turned out to be quite treacherous. The rocks were loose, and we were forced to down climb several sections very carefully. I gave myself a bit of a scare when I slid on some gravel, but arrested my fall and escaped with nothing but abraded hands. The waterfall section turned out to be quite tricky, and more dangerous than I would have liked. Sit and scoot was the name of the game. After we got off the face of the mountain, we skirted around the lake and stopped for a snack at the headwaters of Snowmass Creek. We decided to hike out, and walked back to the trail head. By about 11am, it began to rain, and with the howling wind, we were happy to be in the valley instead of on the summit. When we reached the log jam, we changed into sandals and crossed further downstream, avoiding the risk of slipping and falling on the wet, slippery logs. We made good time back to the trail head, and drove out on County Rd. 11.

Alan looking at the dark clouds blowing over the summit.

We arrived in Glenwood Springs in time for dinner at the Glenwood Canyon Brewery, where I had a Bleu Bella Burger with bacon added, which was the best burger of my life. Alan opted for a healthier meal of salmon, rice, and veggies, which also looked good. We washed down our disappointment in our failed summit attempts with some beer, and checked into a Marriott Residence Inn. We went to 19th Street Diner which we had visited the year before to get a milkshake, took a shower, and hit the hay. It turned out that a climber had died on Capitol Peak that day, and was recovered during the time we had been hiking out. We actually saw the Black Hawk helicopter leaving the valley during our hike out, and we were reminded of the dangers of these mountains. Especially after learning of this and being reminded that safety is more important than anything else, we felt we had made the right decision in turning around. The mountains will still be there another time.

Mountain Biking in Breckenridge - Carter Park through Barney Ford and many other trails

Mountain biking by an abandoned gold mine in Breckenridge.

The next day, we left and drove up to Breckenridge and stopped to ask for some advice at a bike shop for some fun local trails. We put together a rather complicated route that roughly went like Sunbeam Trail, Moonstone Trail, Barney Ford, V3, B&B Trail, Minnie Minnie, Turk's Trail, Sallie Barber Road, and Barney Flow back to Carter Park. The trails were fun and somewhat challenging to ride, and passed by several abandoned mines and a dredge mined valley. I can't remember how far we went, but I would guess it was on the order of 18 miles total. We then went to the grocery store and picked up some food and beer, and drove out on Tiger Road to set up camp.


Mt. Cameron, Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Democrat - day hike  near Breckenridge, CO
Since we were about an hour's drive from these mountains, and we wanted to get an alpine start, we woke up at 3:30am and packed up camp. We drove south of Breckenridge on Colorado Rd. 9 and climbed over a small mountain pass. We turned off at Buckskin Creek Rd. and arrived near the trail head a little after 5am. The road deteriorates rapidly, and we could not drive all the way in with the Prius. When we began our hike, some people had already started climbing. This place was very different than our experience in Snowmass Mountain. We were starting our hike above the treeline, and the rock was much more solid. There were no parts of the trail that felt unsafe.

It is also not a place for solitude, as there were probably over a hundred people all told climbing the mountains that day. We traveled light and just took our mountain biking backpacks with water reservoirs, some snacks, and warm clothing including gloves and hat. The hike up these mountains is pretty straightforward, and we found information on these mountains by talking to a local at Mountain Outfitters and on Summitpost: Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Democrat.

Alan and I at the summit of Mt. Lincoln at 14,295ft.

We hiked up to the saddle between Democrat and Lincoln, and we opted to climb Mt. Lincoln first, since everyone else was going to Democrat and we wanted some sense of solitude. We had been told by the locals that neighboring Mt. Bross was private land and the owners were working through an agreement with climbing groups to allow access, but at this point it was considered trespassing. We respected that, and chose not to climb it, even though many other climbers that day were planning to. We climbed up the ridge from the saddle to the summit of Mt. Cameron, a false 14er, at an altitude of 14,238ft. Another couple took some pictures of us at the top, and we continued to the summit of Mt. Lincoln. The wind was ferocious, I would estimate 20mph sustained and over 30mph gusts. There was fresh ice in the rocks from frozen water, so I suspect the temperature was below freezing on top of the mountain. We reached the summit of Mt. Lincoln at 14,295ft, and completely alone, took in the beauty of the summit view in the early morning.

View from the summit of Mt. Democrat at 14,154 ft.

On our way down, we began to encounter a lot more people. We saw some other climbers who were ill-prepared for the weather, especially girls, climbing in short shorts and t-shirts and tennis shoes. However, as the sun rose, it did begin to get warmer. Clouds began forming as well. Back at the saddle, we stopped for a quick snack break before ascending the trail to Mt. Democrat. The trail is pretty simple, and before long we were standing on the top of another beautiful summit. We shared the summit with about 30 other people at 14,154ft. I noticed that I had cell reception, so I took the opportunity to call my parents from the summit. After spending about twenty minutes on the summit, we started to hike back down. Two F-16 fighter jets flew up the valley and right over the mountain at high speed and low altitude, which was really cool to see (and hear!). We were one of the first to make it back to the trail head at Kite Lake, and it began to snow. The clouds were looking much more ominous now, and we were glad to be down the mountain. We were both exhausted and quite hungry. We drove back out to the town of Alma, and stopped at South Park Saloon, "The Highest Saloon in the USA", for some burgers and beer.

Fishing at the Blue Lakes reservoir by Quandary Peak.

After asking some locals for some good fishing spots, we drove to the Blue Lakes next to Quandary Peak. I broke out the spinning rod and Alan used his fly rod, but we didn't catch anything. We did hike around the south side of the lower lake, and reached a waterfall spilling over from the upper lake. After spending a few hours enjoying nature, we drove back to Breckenridge. We stopped for some beer at happy hour at Breckenridge Brewery, and chatted up some locals for advice on fishing and mountain biking. We took a short nap in the grass by the pond and fountains at the ski resort, and then I fulfilled my tourist urge and bought some souvenirs and gifts. We had gourmet pizza for dinner at Giampietro Pasta and Pizzeria, and then drove back out to our campsite along Tiger Road. We had forgotten to pack the rain fly for the tent, but fortunately it was still at the campsite. We started a campfire and enjoyed a few beers and went to bed.

Mountain Biking and Fishing in Breckenridge and Dillon - Burro trail near Breckenridge and Lake Dillon

Fishing at a pond off the Burro Trail.

The next morning, we drove into town and cooked a breakfast of oatmeal on the picnic tables next to the creek running through the ski resort. We then set off mountain biking on the Burro Trail, intending to go to Crystal Lake to do some fishing on the recommendation from someone we talked to at the brewery the day before. After a while, we both tired and decided to try fishing at a small pond that had been dammed up by beavers. There were only about a dozen small trout in the lake, and Alan and I tried in vain for an hour or so to catch them. It was a rainy, cloudy day, but very peaceful. We then biked back downhill to the car and drove to Lake Dillon. We stopped at the Frisco Bay Marina and did some fishing from the docks. We still didn't catch anything, and after a while, I gave up and started talking to some people about sailing and racing. With more rain coming in, we started on our way home, and drove over to Denver and then headed south.

We stopped for a delicious dinner at Cafe What a Grind in Trinidad, before driving through some thunderstorms to reach Raton, New Mexico for the night. We stayed at Americas Best Value Inn, a cheap mom-and-pop, gun-proud and Christian right motel. The next morning, we got an early start and drove back to Austin, TX, and Alan continued on to his home in Houston.

When all was said and done, this trip had been a fantastic experience! We had a lot of fun and learned a great deal. The inclement weather prevented us from doing what we wanted, but we learned some important lessons on reading the weather and making decisions. We plan to return to Colorado next year to climb Mt. Sneffels in Telluride and then attempt Snowmass Mountain and Capitol Peak again. Check out the video I made of our trip below:

Colorado 2013

Trip Summary: June 24 - July 2, 2013
1) 4-day backpacking trip at Four Pass Loop in Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness near Aspen, CO
2) Mountain biking Emerald Mt. (6 mi) and Rabbit Ears to Storm Peak (24 mi) in Steamboat Springs, CO
3) Day hiking at Mount Zirkel Wilderness in Steamboat Springs, CO

Four Pass Loop - 4 day backpacking trip in Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness near Aspen, CO
There is a lot of available information out there on backpacking Four Pass Loop. It is a 28 mile loop in the Elk Range that wanders through stunning mountain scenery, but it is a difficult hike and much of it is above 9,000ft. We used this trail guide provided by the Aspen Ranger District, and there are many trip reports on Summitpost.org and 14ers.com. I went with a group of three other guys, Alan, Ahmed, and Omar, and while the loop can be done as a backpacking trip in three days, we took four days to do it. I highly recommend taking four days, especially if you are coming from low altitude. I don't know why you would want to skip through that place in three days as the scenery is so beautiful. That said, this loop can be done as a trail run, and the record is 4 hours and 27 minutes.

Topo map of our trip at Four Pass Loop. We went clockwise, Maroon Lake to West Maroon Pass direction.

Before driving up to Colorado, I gave the Aspen Ranger District office a call to ask about snow conditions. The ranger told me that the mountain passes were impassable with over 10 feet of snow, and he didn't expect conditions to improve for several weeks. I scrambled to come up with an alternate trip, but before changing our plans, I talked to Alan. He had been in Colorado the previous winter, and he told me that Colorado had a light snowfall that year and didn't believe what the ranger told us. I called back again, and received the same answer, but after calling a third time, someone different picked up the line. He told me that while it was still early in the season, he didn't think there was much snow. With that information, we set off on our trip, planning on going as far as we could and turning back if we had to. As it turned out, all of the passes were passable, and we only had to cross a few snowfields.

We had originally planned to hike Four Pass Loop in 5-6 days, stopping along the way to climb Snowmass Mountain. By the time we got there, we were pretty exhausted, and since only Alan and I were interested in climbing, we decided not to climb. This turned out to be a good decision as we were not prepared for the climb, lacking helmets to protect us from falling rock and ice axes and crampons to deal with the snow that covered the upper half of the mountain. Alan and I are planning on returning this summer to climb Snowmass Mountain and Capitol Peak, armed with the proper gear.

The car was so full of stuff we stowed our food on the dash.

Below is a list of equipment I think is necessary for the trip. We made the mistake of bringing too much, so as a lesson learned, PACK LIGHT. For food, we bought dried and/or lightweight foods at Walmart in Salida the night before, and repackaged in Ziplock-bags. We got lots of it too, as you eat a lot when backpacking, and we wanted to plan for an additional day in case of bad weather or emergency.
-Breakfast: Oats, energy bars

-Lunch: Energy bars, beef jerkey, dried fruit, trail mix, candy

-Dinner: Dried foods (stuffing, scalloped potatoes, mac+cheese, pre-packed camp food, etc.)

Equipment:

Backpack (55-85L) Pack rain cover Hiking boots Sandals (for stream crossings) Carabiners and straps as needed Hydration reservoirs (150oz+), and/or water bottles Headlamp (and extra batteries and possibly even an extra headlamp) Sleeping pad Sleeping bag (and compression bag) Knife Sun glasses Trekking poles (optional) Compression shorts (or other moisture-wicking underwear) Hiking socks Short-sleeve shirt (moisture-wicking, NOT cotton) Shorts (exercise-type, I use mountain bike shorts) Long hiking pants (NOT jeans) Base shirt layer (Under Armor mock or similar) Long underwear top (PolyPro or similar) Long underwear bottoms (PolyPro or similar) Polar fleece (lightweight) Soft-shell jacket Raincoat Winter hat Baseball hat (or other hat for sun protection) Rain pants (optional) Mountaineering socks (optional)

Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, soap (all small travel versions) Chapstick Chamois (to use as a small towel) Bowl, spoon/fork, cup Ditty bags, Ziplock bags, and hard case (for camera or other electronic items) Camera (and batteries) (optional) Glasses, contact case, contact solution (as needed) Hearing aid batteries, any other personal items (as needed) Backpacking tents (depending on number of people in group and how many they can sleep) Backpacking stove (and fuel) Lighter (and/or matches) Rope (for hanging packs) First-aid kit Water filtration Bear mace Bear bell Maps (and compass) Aspirin (for altitude) Sunscreen Bug spray Cooking pot Ladle or spoon (for cooking) Toilet paper Sewing kit Water jug (Reliance)

Day 1 - June 25, 2013

Alan, me, Omar, and Ahmed at the trailhead at Maroon Lake.

We stayed in Salida the night before and drove to Aspen via Independence Pass in the morning. We saw some mountain goats crossing the road while en route. Once in Aspen, we stopped at the Ute Mountaineer to pick up some topo maps, and stopped by the Forest Ranger office to check-in, and then parked our car at Four-Mountain Sports and took a bus to the Maroon Lake trailhead. We set off around 2:00pm and it was a beautiful, sunny day. The path at the beginning of the hike is paved, then turned to gravel, and ultimately turned to clambering over loose rock and a beaten dirt track as we reached Crater Lake. We registered at the trail head (mandatory). Along the way, we saw some gorgeous waterfalls, and Alan and I scrambled up a scree field to stand underneath the freezing cold shower of snow runoff. We encountered several stream crossings, many

Me cooking stuffing for dinner over a campfire.

of which were deep enough to require changing to sandals. We didn't make it quite as far as we wanted to, but were forced to make camp as the sun was setting. I was pretty exhausted and lightheaded when we made it to camp, as we were now over 10,000 feet and had come from sea level in Texas just the day before. We made a fire and had stuffing for dinner, and we replenished our water by filtering from a nearby stream. We stored all of our food in a plastic garbage bag in one of the packs, which we distanced from the others. In hindsight, we should have tied the food pack up in a tree and kept all of our packs 100 yards away from the tent. There are many black bears in the region. As nighttime fell, we saw an animal approaching the camp in the darkness. During the night we were awoken several times, fearing a bear outside the campsite. It turned out to only be a porcupine.

Day 2 - June 26, 2013

View of the valley from the top of West Maroon Pass.

We woke up early in the morning around sunrise, and packed up our tent. While packing our gear, I busted a strap that I used to secure the tent to my pack. Fortunately, my sewing kit made that a quick fix. We set out and the trail steadily increased in altitude. When we encountered brush or forested areas where the trail weaved back and forth, I attached a bear bell to my pack to alert any bears that might be in the area of our presence so we would be less likely to startle a bear. Late in the morning, we encountered the first few patches of snow. We stopped at a stream to fill up our water, and then continued to climb up West Maroon Pass. None of these passes should be underestimated, and we were quite relieved to make it to the top. We then skirted down along the alpine meadows and climbed over Frigid Air Pass,

Our 2nd campsite in the valley behind the Maroon Bells.

which afforded us a beautiful view of the back of Maroon Peak. As we climbed down into the valley, we met a few Boy Scouts who we repeatedly passed by for the remainder of the trip. We were exhausted by the end of the day, and made camp near the river below the treeline. We again replenished our water supply and made a dinner over a fire of mac and cheese and cheesy scalloped potatoes. We were visited by a porcupine again during the night.





Day 3 - June 27, 2013
With an early start, we hiked down into the lower part of Fravert Basin, where a large, beautiful waterfall tumbles to the valley floor. The trail follows the valley floor to the base of the North Fork Cutoff Trail, at which point it switchbacks up the side of the mountain. The trail emerges above the treeline on a plateau, where Trail Rider Pass is visible several hundred feet higher. This pass was quite difficult, but we made it to the top in good time. Snowmass Lake is visible on the other side of the pass. A word of caution on the descent towards Snowmass Lake - the slope is quite steep. The trail switchbacks, but a few rocks that Alan knocked loose rolled down for what seemed like forever until they hit another rock and exploded into tiny fragments.  The pictures below show, from left to right; the waterfall in Fravert Basin, Trail Rider Pass, snowfields on the descent to Snowmass Lake, and Snowmass Mountain across Snowmass Lake.

We also had to traverse some snow on a steep slope during our descent. We had much more energy today as we were starting to acclimate. We made it to camp early that afternoon around 4:00pm, and set up our tent on a campsite right next to the lake. Some forest rangers came over and told us to move to a campsite farther away, as we had forgotten that campsites need to be a minimum of 100 feet from water. Alan broke out his fly fishing rod and caught some trout, while I explored and found some cool waterfalls downstream of our campsite. Since we didn't have a stove, and fires are not allowed near Snowmass Lake, we ate cold Ramen noodle soup. In cold water, the noodles did not absorb much moisture, so they remained crunchy. The first bite was delicious, as it was salty and filled our stomachs, but it quickly became very unappetizing. I do NOT recommend ever eating cold Ramen noodles. We filtered our water and went to bed.

Day 4 - June 28, 2013
The Maroon-Snowmass Trail approach of the west side of Buckskin Pass is absolutely beautiful. We made it to the top of Buckskin Pass by 10:00am, and were rewarded with a beautiful view of Snowmass Mountain. We hiked back down towards Maroon Lake, and encountered a light thunderstorm when we were about 2 miles from the trailhead. The light rain was quite refreshing, and the lightning was striking much higher in the mountains. We were thankful that we were already down in the valley, however, as we had seen several people heading up to the pass just before the storm. High mountain passes are not the place to be during a thunderstorm. We hiked back to the trailhead and took the bus back to our car. We had lunch at Justice Snow's, a burger bar someone had recommended to us during our trip. We then drove to Glenwood Springs and stayed at Cedar Lodge. We had a great time and I highly recommend this backpacking trip. It is relatively remote, and it is difficult, especially if you live at low altitude and don't spend time acclimating.

Maroon-Snowmass Trail.

Buckskin Pass.

Snowmass Mountain in the distance.

Back at the Maroon Bells trailhead!

Hitching a bus ride back to Aspen.

Mountain Biking in Steamboat Springs - Emerald Mt. (6 mi) and Rabbit Ears to Storm Peak (24 mi)

Mountain biking at Emerald Mountain.

After our backpacking trip in the Maroon Bells, we drove up to Steamboat Springs to do some mountain biking. Alan had worked as a mountain bike guide at the Vista Verde Ranch nearby and was quite familiar with the area. He had a formidable full-suspension Giant mountain bike, but I was armed with my ten-year old (although well maintained) Specialized Hardrock, a chromoly hardtail with a 15" frame that is too small for me now. We both carried Camelbak backpacks with spare tubes, pumps, multi-tools, and a water reservoir. I shouldn't have to say this, but helmets are a must. We wore moisture-wicking shirts, mountain biking pants, and gloves. I wore tennis shoes with platform pedals and Alan used clipless.

We biked up Emerald Mountain on June 29, 2013. From the rodeo grounds trailhead, the trail we took was about 6 miles roundtrip and 1500 feet vertical elevation gain. We took about an hour and a half to go up, and bombed back down in about 20 minutes, taking a short break to let Alan's disc brakes cool. The downhill makes the climb worth it. As Alan told me on the way up, "Nothing worthwhile is ever easy." You can view a map of the trails on Emerald Mountain here. That evening, we went to Strawberry Park Hot Springs and had dinner at Mahogany Ridge Brewery and Grill. We also saw a moose while looking for a campsite. We ended up staying at a motel.

View of Steamboat Springs from the top of Storm Peak.

The next day, on June 30, 2013, Ahmed drove Alan and I out near Rabbit Ears and we biked the Divide Trail from Rabbit Ears to Storm Peak, finishing with an 8 mile downhill back to Steamboat Springs. Here is a link to a description of the trail. In our hurry at the drop-off, I had forgotten to grab food out of the car, and so was faced with the 24 mile ride without anything to eat. We encountered several snow-covered areas as well as muddy stream crossings, but it was a beautiful day. I resorted to eating avalanche lilies and half of Alan's Cliff bar to sustain myself, but the ride was pretty exhausting and I did have to walk a few of the climbs. We stopped to eat a bit and take a rest at Long Lake. There are some steep climbs and downhills with big rocks, and despite my small-framed bike, I didn't endo until we reached the downhill at Storm Peak. Technically, you need to pay for a lift ticket to ride the trails down Storm Peak, and about halfway down the mountain, we found a road that didn't have warnings about prosecution for riding their trails without permission, and took that to the bottom. I did have a flat tire about 1/4 mile from the end of the trail, but we had no other mishaps. We finished the ride in about 7 hours, although it can typically be done in about 5 1/2. That night we car camped in the outskirts of Steamboat Springs in the National Forest.

Mount Zirkel Wilderness - Gilpin Lake Trail, a 9 mile day hike near Steamboat Springs, CO

Gilpin Lake in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness.

The next day, July 1, 2013, we drove to the Mount Zirkel Wilderness trailhead to Gilpin Lake. To reach the trailhead, drive west out of Steamboat Springs on Hwy. 40 for about 2 miles and then turn right on Elk River Road (CR 129). Follow CR 129 about 19 miles and turn right onto Seedhouse Road. Continue for 11 miles to the end at the Slavonia trailhead parking area. The loop to Gilpin Lake is a 9 mile roundtrip hike in the Sawtooth Range. The hiking was easy compared to what we had encountered in the Maroon Bells area. We had to negotiate several stream crossings and some snowfields, but nothing to worry about. You can continue hiking on to Gold Creek Lake for an 11 mile roundtrip hike called Zirkel Circle. There a few beautiful lakes along the way, although Gilpin Lake affords the best views. It looked to me that about a third to half of the pine trees have died due to beetles. Once at Gilpin Lake, I did some fishing and caught a trout, and we all went cliff jumping into the freezing water. We spent about six hours out on this hike. On our drive back to Steamboat, we saw Peruvian sheep herders with a huge flock of sheep grazing on the mountainsides.

We had dinner at Carl's Tavern and spent the evening in Steamboat Springs, before driving to a hotel near Denver. We made it back to Texas the next day. This trip had turned out to be an epic adventure! Alan and I are already planning to return to climb Snowmass Mountain and Capitol Peak this summer. If you get the chance, I highly recommend visiting any of these areas. Thanks for reading my trip report and I hope you enjoyed it! Check out the video Alan made of our trip below: