Maroon Bells Wilderness

After we departed Rocky Mountain National Park, we stopped at Hot Sulfur Springs, where Elena spent several hours in the various natural hot springs pools. Bebop and I walked down to the Colorado Rive, which was shallow enough to walk across. We camped that night on Wolford Lake. The next morning we rafted the Colorado River through Little Brown Canyon. The big Brown Canyon is some of the fiercest whitewater on the planet - our section was mild and scenic.

We spent the next night at Peak One campground near Frisco, CO. We inflated Elena's paddleboard and enjoyed some calm morning water. I even tried the paddleboard and successfully stood up shortly after the photo was taken.

Paddling and drinking at the Dillon Reservoir

After paddling, we drove toward the highest incorporated town in North America - Leadville, CO. On the way, we hiked the Mayflower Gulch Trail up to an old abandoned mining camp. The trail started at 11,000 feet and went up another 650’ from there. It was about a 4-mile RT hike. Mayflower Gulch is a beautiful basin and some of the old mining buildings from the late 1800s are still standing. We crossed the continental divide shortly after that hike and were back on the east side of the Rockies spine.

Mayflower Gulch Hike

While passing through Leadville, I stopped to take a photo of Mount Massive. It’s the 2nd tallest peak in Colorado at 14,250’ and I summited that mountain back in 1988 when my company sent a number of us on a one-week Outward Bound course. It was 13 miles and 4,600 feet of elevation gain to get to the top.

Mount Massive from a distance

Me on Mount Massive in 1988 with an Outward Bound group

We camped at the beautiful Whitestar campground on Twin Lakes. This was one of our highest campsites at 9,300 feet of elevation. The next morning, we headed toward Independence Pass. Not far along the road, we saw about eight bighorn sheep right off the edge of the highway. We proceeded up the pass and walked around at the continental divide at 12,095 feet.

Whitestar Campground on Twin Lakes

Independence Pass

On the way down into Aspen, we made a couple of stops. One was a 1.1 mile trail to Weller Lake. It was a nice little hike to an alpine lake. We also hiked the Grottos Trail. Two main features of this trail are the Ice Cave and the Cascades. The Ice Cave is a bit of a tricky climb to get down to, but it is an interesting stream carved nook in the rocks. The last of this year's ice melted a couple of weeks ago, but it was still an interesting feature to crawl in and see. We then went to The Cascades, which is a series of waterfalls as the Roaring Fork River comes roaring down the mountain.

Weller Lake

The Ice Cave (ice free since a couple of weeks prior to our visit)

The Cascades on the Roaring Fork River

We crawled through the traffic in Aspen and made it to our campsite - Silver Queen near the Maroon Bells. This camp only has 6 sites, so I was fortunate to grab one six months ago when it opened up for booking. The first evening, we hiked around with Bebop and saw a few deer - to go with the stunning mountain and lake scenery in every direction.

The Maroon Bells - Evening Edition

The following morning (day 17 of our trip - the halfway point), I drove the van from our campsite to Maroon Lake before dawn. It’s a short 3-mile drive. I hiked out to get some dawn shots of the early morning sun hitting the mountains. I returned to the van to get Bebop for a walk. When I stepped out again, I almost stepped on a fox weaving through the parking lot. I managed to get a few fuzzy photos.

The Maroon Bells - Morning Edition

Parking Lot Fox

I took Bebop on a morning walk and a large female deer stared us down and got a little aggressive when she saw Bebop. I think she had her fawn tucked nearby in the woods. Later, Elena and I took the rocky hike to Crater Lake. Bebop was exhausted from finally being able to hike the last few days, so she slept in for this hike. She did pose for a shadow impression of a wolf before her nap. Crater Lake is about 4 miles RT with an elevation gain of a bit over 500 feet (from our starting elevation of 9,600 feet).

Bebop and Deer Staring Contest

The Maroon Bells, Bebop Wolf Shadow Impression, and Crater Lake

Seven years ago I hiked the 10 mile and 3,000 foot climb up to Buckskin Pass, so Crater Lake was easy by comparison. In the afternoon, we rested and walked along Maroon Creek in the shade of the trees. I took Bebop out for a walk, and we saw the giant male moose across the way. He was backlit, so we named him The Black Moose - like The Black Knight from Monty Python. Later that evening, Elena and I went for a hike and saw a beaver swimming and grazing. 

Beaver Swims; Beaver Eats

That evening we then went searching for the local bull moose. From a distance, we spotted him in a willow thicket near the trail. We walked the trail slowly and cautiously, keeping a careful eye into the willows. Just when I thought we were past his location, he stepped out onto the trail right in front of us. The big moose stopped in the creek and had a standoff with a frozen fisherman. The fisherman finally waded across to safety and the moose posed for some photos. Later, the moose stood guard at the bridge and said, “None shall pass.”

The Black Moose - steped out just in front of us on the trail

We visited the area once more the next morning before we departed for other adventures. It’s a stunningly beautiful place.

- Paul