Maroon Bells West Pass Hike is an experience you will remember for life

“This is an experience that you will remember for life!”

“ If you do a hike, you will really love it, it will make you stronger too, and you’ll want to do more!”

We did an 8.5 mile hike halfway from CrestedButte to Aspen. We went with our friends, the Wani’s. We decided to do this hike because we wanted to be fit, be happy, and have fun during these hard times ( COVID-19 lockdown). It was a great experience for my Friends and Family because we have never done something like this before. At the beginning of the hike I felt confident and joyful. A hike is a good time to talk about things you normally talk about, but instead you’re talking about it on a hike where you can get exercise. You don’t want to be talking on your couch and being a couch potato! Well, you can sit on your coach and talk! :)

Bodies of Water-

Small Waterfall- At the very beginning of the hike, not even 0.1 miles into the hike we saw a Waterfall that was very calming to look at. The Waterfall was under a whole lot of trees. At the Waterfall we took many pictures of us to cherish this memory forever! We also had a stretching session for about five minutes which our friends led.

Mini-Streams- Toward the halfway point of the hike we started noticing many mini- streams. We had a thought that the streams might have been connecting to the Crystal River which was along side the trail.

The Crystal River- The Crystal River is a river that runs alongside the West Maroon Pass Trail. It is very rocky and is full of slate and mud. It is a more calm river compared to other rivers.

Mini-Ponds- When we were about to reach the top of the Mountain we saw two small ponds. We were thinking that the ponds were made out of melted snow. By the way there was still snow that was not melted and it is August already!

Flowers and Meadows- I felt like I was in heaven when I first saw the meadows full of Flowers and Plants. I saw different flowers including the Indian Paintbrush, lavender plants, big huge weeds, and many Daisies.The daisies were pink, purple and white. But my favorite plant overall was the Indian Paintbrush for sure. The Indian Paintbrush is red and when you look at it it makes you feel calm. It almost looks like the point of a paintbrush. Looking at the flower meadows I felt safe and I had a conversation with my dad about how beautiful the flowers were. Sometimes we just ran into meadows of the same flowers over and over again. But we had nothing to complain about.

Animals, birds and insects-

We saw many birds and insects that were all so unique! We saw a lot of humming birds that can move their wings 1,000 times a minute. We also saw Painted Lady Butterflies and one baby Monarch butterfly which actually sat on my back. We also ran into a lot of honeybees which were buzzing all around me so I had to walk very fast. We didn’t see any bears which is a relief. On the front poster it said that you need bear canisters for your food. If you don’t,there will be a chance that a bear will eat up your food.

Fun Fact- At the end of our hike somebody told us about two parallel lines of marble on the mountain and how there is a mine that is behind that mountain. Then out of nowhere he told us that the Washington Monument is made out of marble. I was confused why he was talking about two totally different things. Finally, he told us that the marble they produce at the mine actually got shipped out to Washington D.C to make the Washington Monument!

And turns out this was our 10th hike and I am turning ten in the same month! What a coincidence!

The End

At the end, I didn’t feel good. I felt nausea, pain, breathless, hungry, thirsty, and dirty. Glad I had the Osprey Hydration Pack to quench my thirst. But, I also felt Joyful, happy, and accomplished! Other kids should do hikes and take on a challenge because it gives you good exercise, makes you healthy, and it will make you stronger and tougher. The Journey took us seven hours going and coming back. But we all had the best experience together, we are a Quaranteam, Ya, get it! Lastly, I encourage you to do one of these two things……… :)

1. Go on a hike in one of your nearby State Parks

2. Discover a new flower while going on a hike

Advice: “Only think about these three words: “YES I CAN” and if you keep saying ‘Yes I Can’ you will able to do anything including hard and tough hikes, Okay!”