This Alone
One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.
-Gilbert Chesterton
“Is it really worth it?” The thought running through my head in late November 2018. I was nearing the end of my stay in Boulder. As I prepared to pack up and move east, I was debating what I wanted to do for my final big hiking trip out west.
Thoughts of seeing Telluride, Mesa Verde, or the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park were high on my mind… but one thing that I knew I would regret not seeing and may not have time to again, was the peaks of Maroon Bells.
You may not have heard of Maroon Bells, but I can guarantee you’ve seen a picture of them at some point. The rumor is, they are the most photographed mountain in the United States - topping even Mount Rainier in Washington, and Denali in Alaska.
Located about 20 minutes outside of Aspen, both peaks (there are two) are part of Colorado’s infamous 14ers. A total of 58 in the state, these peaks rise over 14,000 feet in the air, making for a tough climb with some technical gear, if you were to reach to the summit.
It starts to snow in October when you live 9,000 feet up, so I probably don’t have to explain why late that November most of the roads west of Denver were either shut down or under the tire chain law (chains that I did not own). So, that morning I decided to take a busier road that are plowed more and headed west about four hours to the famous range.
In early November the road that takes you directly to Maroon Lake (situated in the valley between the two peaks) closes and the only way there is a 12 miles round trip hike or taking a private tour. Being the loner I am, the hike sounded a lot better.
When it comes to travel, I like to get up early, I tend to pack light, and I really don’t mind walking anywhere.
Come 3 AM, my alarm clock was blaring. I grabbed my day pack with some water, trail mix, and my thick flannel and hit the road in my 2005 Toyota Solara; fingers crossed it would make it up and down the mountains.
Just as the sun was coming up I found the blocked off road up to Maroon Lake next to T-Lazy-7 Ranch, parked my car on the side, and began my walk.
This wasn’t a hard hike. That said, the way up is a steady incline on asphalt covered in ice and snow. I had some crampons to give me traction. But, if you’ve ever used any kind of micro spikes before, you know that when you hit sections of ground not covered in ice, they aren’t the most comfortable thing to be walking on. And, without them it wasn’t safe.
6 miles up doesn’t sound like a lot on paper. But for some reason, I felt like I was walking for AGES...
On your left hand side you are graced the entire way up by open valleys and small mountains (compared to the peaks of the Bells) that I can only imagine in the fall would be absolutely gorgeous with the leaves changing colors. It wasn’t until halfway up that I turned around and saw endless snow-capped mountain peaks.
This alone made it worth the trip.
Moving up a few more miles, I saw two large snow machines, I guess I would call it? They were almost like buses that had about 10 people in them with traction on their wheels to run through the ice along the road. The driver of this sled poked his head out the window while driving past me in this instance, told me that he would leave some hot chocolate and water for me at the top of the trail when I get there, and drove on. I gave a waving thanks and kept trudging on.
After about 2 hours, I could see it. I could see the famous peaks rising up over the trail and could finally see the snow-covered lakes at the base of each. And boy was it worth it. It truly had to be one of the coolest views I have experienced. But it wasn’t just the view that did it for me. It was all the sound, or I should say lack of. Luckily for me, that snow sled, machine, thing passed me going down the other way, which meant I had the amazing area all to myself. The snow, the mountains, the lake, and the quiet.
There is a short trail that leads along the lake in the valley between the bells that I attempted to walk around, moving till the snow was to deep. I looped back, cleared off a bench, sat down, and took it all in.
I sat there for a good hour, overwhelmed in a feeling that seemed surreal. I found the hot chocolate the awesome guy left for me, and started my 2 hour hike back down the mountain just in time for a late lunch in Aspen.