• AT HAND: Deuce Lee, The Big Dipper
• LOCATION: Snowmass/Aspen, CO
• DATES: July 18-21, 2024
• STATS: 4 days/3 nights, 28.75 miles – 8,950 feet EG

Shit happens. You can’t control everything, nor should you want to. I’d posit that having a short memory is one of the best ways to keep your psyche pointed forward into the future. It also mutes the nagging Karen of self-criticism that seems to whisper ever louder in your ear the older that you get. There’s a window of prescience that you have to seize upon to learn from the mistakes you made in the past, but if you allow your mind to backslide into fixation, wasting valuable mental energy on circumstances that cannot be changed, then you’re bound to become mired in a cycle of self-loathing and catastrophizing. Occasionally, though, the Godhead throws you a metaphysical bone. You have to decide whether to bury it, or start the exigent process of gnawing it into oblivion.

Four Pass Loop begins and ends in the Aspen/Snowmass ski area. After a quick shuttle ride to the trailhead, you’re treated to a direct view of the Maroon Bells, two 14ers that you’ll circumnavigate and see from all angles as you complete the loop. In the clockwise direction, you hit two spectacular lakes (Maroon and Crater) in less than two miles before getting up to altitude and staying there. With four passes at or around 12,500 feet, and around 9,000 feet of elevation gain to crest, opportunities abound to test your cardio and push your heart rate. If you’re fortunate enough to be trodding through at the right time of the year, you’ll experience wildflowers in an abundance that’s difficult to describe. The highlight might be Snowmass Lake and the peaceful tranquility that it presses onto you, even when the campsites are crowded or your demeanor is unprepared to accept it. A downhill gallop into a the sea of washed masses completes your journey.

Of consequence: Herds of deer; fairy tale wildflowers; cheating at cribbage; forest green: the best color choice for gear you want to lose; Crested Butte bachelorettes; waterfall-adjacent campsites; beef.