4 Pass Loop on Maroon Bells – A couple of questions

[Ben C]

I am planning on doing the 4 Pass Loop of the Maroon Bells June 29-July 1 this summer with my 16 year old son.
I have a 30 degree EE quilt for me and a Montbell SS #3 for him. Does this sound warm enough?
Also, I plan to sleep under a trailstar with him. Any thoughts on the mosquito situation that time of year?
Thanks in advance.

[Ted E]

30 degree bags should be warm enough as long as the weather is decent. it can snow anytime of the year, but it should be warm enough by then. if either of you run cold normally, a 20 degree bag might be a better choice. I run warm, so i would probably need to vent my 30* bag if the weather was good.

I wrote a bit about the 4 pass loop in issue 13 of TrailGroove if you're interested in reading about it. Its more photos than writing though.

http://www.trailgroove.com/issue13.html?autoflip=87

P.S. There is a really nice spot at 39.097341,-107.059097, and another spot just up the trail by a small pond, south of trail rider pass. However, those would be bad spots to be at during a thunderstorm. Might also be a bit less buggy than the sites along the north fork of the crystal river. Also, there is some damage to sites around crater lake from avalanche debris, so take that into account.

[Ben C]

Thanks Ted. I have already looked at your write up on Trail Groove. Its really an enjoyable publication all around. Thanks for the advice.

[Ted E]

Thanks, I'm glad it was useful.

if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I went a little later in the year last year, and i wasn't bothered by the mosquito much, but unless they are really bad, i don't care much about them. However, there was more snow this year, which means the mosquito season will be later. At the least, wear long pants and bring a headnet. If they're bad, you can wear your rain/wind jacket to totally bug-proof yourself.

[Erica R.]

Definitely post a trip report when you're back! I've been eyeing this loop. Been curious about the difficulty of the water crossings and the mosquitos as well! Have fun!

[Ted E]

the north fork of crystal river is defiantly a wet crossing. i barefooted it through the creek instead of soaking my socks/shoes. other than being cold it was fine. sandals or neoprene socks would have been nice.

the river crossing below snowmass lake isn't too bad, but i was able to keep my shoes on and keep them dry.

[Ben C]

Perfect timing, Ted. I am heading out Friday morning. Were the passes all pretty clear? I'm thinking of summiting Snowmass Mountain. How did it look? Also, how cold is it getting at night there? I was planning on taking a 30 degree bag for each of us. Thanks.

[Ted E]

I might be in the aspen area this weekend (first time this year) to climb castle and conundrum (might go climb the crestones instead, i'm being indecisive). Because i haven't backpacked/climbed this year in that area, i can't tell you much about current conditions. I was commenting on the river crossings from my experiance last year in late July. Most of the rivers in the state are still experiencing runoff levels right now, so they'll be higher now than normal, but not flooding.

14ers.com has some good info about current conditions around snowmass & the bells. opensnow.com (https://opensnow.com/dailysnow/colorado) has some good general weather info for the state thats always accurate, and the noaa website pinpoint forecasts are great for expected temps.

[Randy Martin]

For those interested in conditions around the 4 pass loop. The update below on 14ers.com gives pictures from just a few days ago. Still an unbelievable amount of snow. I am thinking my plans for an August 22 target of this loop are looking good for an epic display of wildflowers.

http://14ers.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=43709&p=533141#p533141

[Ted E]

How was the trip Ben?

[Ben C]

The trip was great but I would up in the San Juans instead of the 4 Pass Loop. The Ranger told us no one had been able to pass thru the passes yet because of the snow. The Weminuche was a great consolation.

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