Craving some altitude after pandemic confinement, we drove our van cross-country to Breckenridge, Colorado, living for 5 weeks at 10,000+ feet in preparation for a summer through-hike of the John Muir (JMT) Trail in California. Acclimating in Colorado, we discovered the joy of 14k peak bagging…

Just 10 miles outside of Aspen, Colorado, is a special place called the Maroon Bells. After enjoying the thrill of 13k and 14k peak climbs in the Mosquito, Tenmile, and Sawatch Ranges of the Colorado Rockies, we needed to test our gear — and our mettle — on a longer multi-day hike. The Aspen to Crested Butte Trail was the perfect destination for our first over-nighter.