Finding Peace within the Four Pass Loop
A Note: As anxiety and uncertainty run rampant during the COVID-19 quarantine, nature continues to bring me peace. I may not be able to enjoy it as freely as I’d like right now, but even quick hikes and walks in view of the mountains bring me joy. And it reminds me of another time that nature healed my broken spirit...
In 2019, my sister and I had planned to do our first “solo” backpacking trip. After doing many day hikes together and successfully summiting Kilimanjaro on an 8-day guided trek, we were ready to take the plunge. We planned to do the Four Pass Loop: a 4-day backpacking loop around the legendary Maroon Bells, complete with four 12,000-ft+ passes and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Maroon Bells- Snowmass Wilderness area.
Our original plan was to complete the hike in mid-July. But due to some epic snowfall and avalanches, the trails were impassable. So, we decided to reschedule for late August. I had planned every step of our trip: our path, how far we would go each day, our gear, our food, how we would handle water crossings, and more. And we were so ready.
But the universe had something else in store for us. In mid-August, our 97 year old grandmother became quite ill. And on August 28, she passed away. She had an incredibly full life, living nearly a century. However, it didn’t make the loss any easier. Grams was my person. She and I would gab for hours every time I visited her. And she always told me that we had kindred spirits– that she was seeing the world through my eyes. She was proud of my explorer’s heart and always supported my travels, even if she didn’t always understand them. She would actually brag to her friends about her granddaughter who had been to all seven continents and her two granddaughters who had climbed Kilimanjaro together.
So after she passed, my sister and I knew that the best way to honor our grandmother and heal our broken hearts was to take this adventure in nature together. So, we set out, determined to make it happen no matter what.
DAY 1
The trailhead began in front of the beautiful Maroon Bells, the most photographed spot in Colorado. And it’s no wonder why.
We started the hike with 37-pound packs and decided to go clockwise– the most popular direction to go. We didn’t bring any luxuries: just a good winter tent (it gets cold at altitude at night!), a bear canister (required in these parts), our food, trekking poles, and gear. The beginning of the trail was very rocky and steep, but we were excited to begin our journey.
A few miles in, we came across a stream and decided to filter water. However, this proved more difficult than originally anticipated. I had brought a gravity bag to filter our water which is a great filter to use, but only works if there are trees to hang it from. Unfortunately, for us, it was shrubs for days. After trying everything (including just trying to hold the bag above my head…. we were desperate!), we came across a group of hikers who helped us find a tree stump perched off of a ledge. That did the trick! We then found a campsite at about 11,600 feet in elevation, cooked dinner, hid our bear canisters and went to bed exhausted and excited for our first two mountain passes the next day.
Day 2
We woke up before sunrise in order to hit the trail early. We needed to complete two mountain passes before noon to avoid hitting any inclement weather while exposed above tree line. West Maroon Pass was up first (12,590 ft), and it was a steep and narrow hike. But it was gorgeous and the views were completely breathtaking.
As we descended and made our way to Frigid Air Pass, the wild flowers were in full bloom and the sky was idyllic. It gave us a moment to reflect on what we were doing, what we were accomplishing, and what we had lost. In the midst of this beauty, we knew this was something Grams would have loved to see. And it made us feel closer to her in some way.
We made our way to Frigid Air Pass (12,415 ft). And while we heard that it was the easiest of the four, it certainly didn’t seem to be the case. It was steep and rocky, causing me to lose my footing more than once. But, again, the views were incredible from the top.
After we descended, we came upon King Falls which was spectacular. We considered camping near here, but decided to keep pressing ahead to give ourselves a better head start the next day.
We camped in a beautiful clearing, although overrun by insects. During this experience, we mastered the art of the “defensive swat”, keeping bugs out of our tent while we unzipped 😂
DAY 3
This was my absolute favorite day of our hike. We started the day by crossing a freezing stream as we made our way to the most difficult pass: Trail Rider (12,420 ft). This was the steepest of the passes, requiring you to climb 1000′ in just one mile. But the weather was beautiful and the views were unbeatable. I mean, c’mon…
We couldn’t wait to make our way down to Snowmass Lake, where we would be making camp for the night. But to get there, we needed to cross a massive rock slide which was super fun.
And when we finally got to camp, we were not disappointed. It was by far the most crowded of the campsites, but that is only because of how stunning the location is. We ate by the lake, did some much needed stretching and yoga, and did a bit of star gazing. We were able to truly relax and had completely lost track of the things that cluttered our daily minds: texts, emails, work issues, social media, and everything else. We were able to focus on the moment, the experience, and to reflect on our grief. It was exactly what we had needed.
We headed back to camp at dark and experienced only one snafu: Diana sliced her hand open in our tent, requiring me to fetch our bandages from our bear canister in the pitch black. Not gonna lie… it was pretty spooky walking in the woods late at night to fetch a canister full of things that attract bears. But it was also kind of thrilling.
Day 4
Buckskin (12,500 ft) was by far our easiest ascent. In fact, it was so gradual at parts, we had a hard time deciphering which mountain we were actually climbing! And when we finally did reach the pass, we found a social trail to the actual peak. We decided to take the extra time to make the climb and have lunch at the top. And it was well worth it.
As we finished the day and grew closer to “civilization”, we were proud of what we had accomplished. We had navigated the wilderness by ourselves. We had filtered our own water. We had cooked our own food. We used bear canisters. We set up and took down our tents. We completed four epic mountain passes over the course of four days. And most importantly, we knew Grams would have been proud of us too.