Ring my Bell

With a distinct reddish hue and a glassy pond underneath the Maroon Bells are the most photographed features in Colorado.  They also have a reputation as two of the more difficult 14,000 foot peaks to hike due to precipitously loose rock and very direct routes straight up the things.

I was stoked to get up both of them and never have to climb those chossy peaks again. Widerman rallied me to Independence Pass at 4 a.m. and we were gaining elevation above Aspen by 6.  

We chose the Northeast Ridge of North Maroon because it's straight forward and safe.  Then we headed across the Bells Traverse to South Maroon and back because it's super exposed, class 5 and sketchy.  Yeah, what was the thought process behind that?

There were a handful of class five sections (enough to get your heart racing).  We could have used a half length alpine rope, because there were three strategically placed rappel anchors to descend some small head walls in the traverse.  Down climbing and re-climbing them wasn't bad though and saving the weight was in our best interest.