Day 34 – Maroon Bells Scenic Area and Aspen

Megan’s Take

Today we got up about 5 am so that we could be out the door at 6 am, driving 1.5 hours to the Maroon Bells Scenic Area. We had a parking pass for the trailhead, and you have to arrive before 8 am. After that, it’s shuttle bus only. I thought it would be awful getting up and out, but the kids actually did really well. We woke them up from a deep sleep around 5:45 am, dressed them, and threw them into the truck with blankets and breakfast.

Today was the biggest hike we’ve done with the kids, although we didn’t intend that. The first hike to Crater Lake was about 3.5 miles,

and then we added the 1.9 mile Maroon Bells Scenic loop.

There was some overlap between the trails, but I believe it was just under 5 miles. No wonder Emilia was complaining about her tired legs at the very end! She was really a trooper, especially since we had woken her up so early. Emmett hiked at least 2 miles but spent time in the hiking carrier.

The trails were beautiful alpine lakes – great views.

I’m glad we hiked them, but the Crater Lake trail was kind of annoying to me in that the trail surface was mostly rocks – like the jagged edge kind. So we were constantly watching our footing and checking balance. It’s hard on the feet and difficult with young children who trip and fall on even the flattest trails. I enjoyed the slickrock trail surfaces in Utah much more, although those didn’t come with alpine lake views.

All in the all, the hike took almost 5 hours, including all of our snack breaks. We didn’t anticipate it taking that long, but when you’re hiking with young children, it takes what it takes. My goal is not just to finish the hike, but to make sure our children enjoy it. I don’t want them to hate hiking. So if that means extra breaks, playing on rocks, searching for pine cones or whatever, so be it. I want them to be curious and engaged. When we arrived at Crater Lake after ascending several hundred feet, Emmett proudly exclaimed, “We did it! We’re here!” It was very endearing because he seemed so proud of himself and of us. I often tell the kids that I’m proud of how well they’re hiking etc. on the trail, and at Crater Lake (our turn around point), he asked me if I was proud of him and if I was proud of Emilia. Of course!

After our trails, we headed into Aspen for ice cream/gelato. We quickly decided that Aspen is not our kind of town. I had to laugh at all the little kids in dresses and polo shirts, whereas our kids were so sticky, sweaty, and visibly dirty from all the times they fell on the trail. I opted for cookies but held the double-scoop cup for Emilia and Emmett to share. They each picked out a flavor, and Emilia’s cookie monster scoop landed on top. I took some small bites, and we eventually cleared it away to get to Emmett’s flavor of choice (mixed berry sorbet). He looked at me so seriously and told me, “mama, I’m so proud of you for clearing that.” I’ve never had anyone tell me in all seriousness that they were proud of me for eating ice cream, but I could get used to those kinds of positive affirmations!

The rest of the day was fun play for the kids to burn off any possible remaining energy. They played on the playground at Herron Park in Aspen (fun climbing structures!)

and then swam and did the playground at our Glenwood Springs KOA. (Of note – Emmett has finally gained some water confidence! Today was the first day that he swam around the pool in his life jacket and didn’t just float helplessly around.) We managed to get them in bed at 8 pm, and there was just the bare minimum of threats made to them about staying in their bunks. They fell right to sleep without issues.

Phil’s Take

The drive toward the hike had an unexpected level of traffic for the time of day, but the reason is obvious in retrospect. All of the blue collar folks have zero chance of affording a place in Aspen, so they were all commuting there to do work for the rich. The drive was basically barren once we went a direction that was not toward Aspen.

The scenery on the drive is interesting, completing that transition into mountains.

The first mile of the hike up to Crater lake was our usual pace with Emmett walking. We then stopped for a snack and the pace slowly deteriorated from there. This is the second such hike where i noticed a very drastic slowdown. My impatience comes with how long we let this continue before throwing him in the pack. I have had GPS data on my phone tracking stuff and the pace clearly dropped by 2x or more toward the end. It just isn’t as fun when it’s taking almost an hour for a half mile. I try to hide it as much as possible though.

I do love the views at alpine lakes, and Crater Lake did not disappoint. The featured image at the top of the article was taken toward the far end of the lake from where the trail came in. I took another shot toward the beginning of the lake where the trail came in that’s included in Megan’s section. I also grabbed this panorama from the middle of the east side of the lake.

While I was out taking picutres, I caught a glimpse of a waterfall while capturing where it joins the lake.

I had passed a trail that went in that general direction, so I took it on my way back looking for a better shot of the waterfall. I didn’t find one, but I did end up in a place where the water flowed around me amongst the trees that was pretty cool.

I could have maybe reached the bottom of the big waterfall, but there was no trail and it was getting thick and hard to follow, so I turned back after taking a few shots and videos in the area.

Once we got back down to Maroon Lake, we decided to take the entirety of the Scenic Loop trail. Here was the waterfall jackpot.

We got very good views of this whole rushing stream from that bridge in the video all the way up to where it originates as springs from the rock. When we were on that bridge, Emmett and Emilia were fascinated by the rushing water.

In the area where the springs start, it forms a small lake with a near mirror finish, which I included the shot of up in Megan’s section. As always with alpine lakes, the water was incredibly clear.

If one does not have the time or energy to reach Crater Lake, Maroon Lake also gives a good view (just maybe not as good). This is a shot north toward the entrance.

The shots with the streams are also awesome.You just can’t go wrong with water and mountains. This was taken from Maroon Laket upstream toward Crater Lake.

By the end, I had carried Emmett for 3 miles of the hike and I could feel it. He got some rest though, prompting many passersby to make obvious observations on his status at greater than conversational volume. It’s almost as if they didn’t notice he was sleeping.

At my feet you can see the rocks that Megan complained about. I’m sure they contributed to the soreness of my feet with the extra 50 lbs on my back, but they generally don’t bother me when hiking. They also have the benefit of keeping the kids interested in the hike, as they’re not big fans of the flat and easy trails.

The best part of Aspen was definitely that little park. The gelato, while good, wasn’t as good as the price made it out to be. While eating said gelato, I did some people watching, confirming my suspicion that I don’t belong in a place like that. Even if I happened to be rich, I’m just not built like that. It’s a whole different culture. I’d classify it as a town like Gatlinburg Tennessee, but replace the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not with Prada and Ralph Lauren shops. It’s definitely not a place for the masses, unless you’re fixing their toilet.

The early day and carrying a little man for 3 miles has me pretty worn out. I don’t know what the limit is for carrying Emmett, but I can’t imagine more than 4 miles. Megan asked me if I’d be able to carry him next year, and I just don’t see it. Maybe if I hit the gym and get huge, but I think my DNA puts a limit on a lot of that.

As always, here’s the gallery of today’s picures.

One Reply to “Day 34 – Maroon Bells Scenic Area and Aspen”

  1. You didn’t talk about the elevation – that had to have added to the hiking challenge!

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