About a week ago my boyfriend called me and told me he fell off a roof at work and was on his way to the hospital with an ankle the size of a watermelon. Luckily he didn't injure any tendons or ligaments (which is worse than a break), but he did have a really bad sprain. After the initial worry we were both pretty bummed because we had planned on doing a lot of hiking this fall.
Two days ago we decided that we would rather go to the Maroon Bells and not really hike than not go at all, so we loaded up, crutches and all, and made an adventure out of it. We went to the Maroon Bells that morning, shopped around Aspen, and adventured (as much as we could) around the Highlands and Snowmass Village. The weather was absolutely superb, we couldn't have asked for better. We definitely should have worn shorts, though!!!
We got lucky that we went on a day when the buses weren't running so we could drive right up to the Maroon Bells parking lot. The staff was also extremely helpful and courteous. We didn't have a handicap pass but they let us move up from the overflow lot to the front lot and park nice and close. Unlike Hanging Lake, you don't actually have to hike to the lake at the Maroon Bells, it's only a short walk from the parking lot. (There are some pretty awesome and lengthy trails past the lake, but obviously those weren't going to be happening.) This was a good thing because he was on crutches, but a bad thing because it was kind of crowded. We made it down to the end up the lake which was good enough for me. Here are some pictures in no particular order of the Maroon Bells and the road up to them! I'm bummed we didn't get to actually hike, but it's something to look forward to next summer/fall!
It's no wonder than the movie Dumb & Dumber was all filmed in Summit County. Aspen doesn't really look anything like most people think it looks like. It's not "village-like" at all, but more so a small city. If you're from Wisconsin, it reminds me of a mix of the 3rd Ward in downtown Milwaukee and the town of Lake Geneva mixed together. I could never live there, too much traffic. It was fun to shop around there nonetheless.
Last but not least, Snowmass Village. Out of the three Aspen Mountains I haven't ridden in the winter (Aspen, the Highlands, and Snowmass), I think I would like Snowmass the best. It was beautiful with all the changing colors.
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