Backpack – ADV BKP: 7-Pass Loop

This is an “advanced” backpack trip for people who enjoy long days, off-trail hiking, bushwhacking, big elevation gains, scrambling, and are 100% self-sufficient. For your safety and the safety of others, you must have the experience, skills, nutrition, and fitness to be successful as we will be hiking in a very remote and isolated area.

My goal is to have a safe and fun trip. This means we need to be prepared as individuals and aligned as a group. Please take a few minutes to read the information below before registering.

This type of backpacking isn’t for everyone, and that’s ok. But if you enjoy passing through extensive landscapes in relatively short periods of time, and enduring the physical and mental challenges that accompany these trips, then maybe it’s for you!

Prerequisites:

Skills: You must be self-sufficient in the backcountry and follow LNT principles. This includes, but is not limited to, having the ability to find an acceptable campsite, pitch your tent, cook, and pack in the morning. You also need to be proficient with navigation and have personal first aid skills to take care of common injuries like blisters, bug bites, cuts, and scrapes.

Nutrition: Meal planning is critical for success. Do you know your caloric needs while backpacking? Do you tend to pack just enough or do you pack for an extra day or two “just in case”? If you have questions then let’s discuss.

Gear: We will review gear before the trip, but from your experience you should already have a good idea what you will need based on the location and anticipated conditions. A light pack allows us all to move more quickly and to cover more ground, so your pack and gear (without food, water, and fuel) should weigh around 15 lbs or less, and you should carry few, if any, luxuries (e.g., no camp chair). Let me know if you do not have the ability to follow a GPS track in the field using a smart phone, Garmin, or other device. Also, you must expect and prepare for temperatures mid-20F to 75F, wind, and precipitation.

Fitness: You must be comfortable hiking 2.5 mph on a relatively level trail, climbing over 1,000 ft/hr (at a slightly slower pace), gaining up to 6,000’ in a day (for three days in a row), traveling off-trail, and moving for 8 to 12 hrs/day (some days might be less than 10 miles and some might be more than 15 miles, depending on the terrain and conditions). You should know how your body reacts after hiking 40-50 miles and climbing 13k feet in three days. All of this with your backpacking gear.

Daily Routine:

We generally will meet for breakfast at 7AM and begin hiking before 8AM. To make this happen, you will need to be mostly packed before breakfast. Over breakfast we will discuss the day’s plan. During the day we will hike as a group and take time to rest, eat, and manage gear. At night we will cook and eat as a group, and review the day. Prohibited: we will have no campfires for LNT, and no alcohol or recreational drugs for safety.

About this Trip:

We’ve all heard of, and probably backpacked, the (in)famous 4-Pass Loop outside of Aspen. This is a stunning route through the heart of the Maroon Bells Wilderness, and its popularity makes for a difficult solitary wilderness experience, assuming you can even secure the appropriate permits. This variation is much more challenging and does not (yet) require advance permits. We’ll also be off-trail at times, well above timberline.

We will be hiking a 37-mile loop over 3 days. Elevation ranges from 8,375’ to 12,667’ and the total elevation gain (and similar loss) of 12,793’ works out to an average of about 700’ gain/loss per mile. Day 1 requires a solid effort, with 5,800’ gained on the day. Day 2 is the most formidable, as we climb an unmarked pass from Avalanche Lake to Siberia Lake. This section has no trail, and it requires a 2,000’ talus climb in just over a mile. We’ll start early because this is just the beginning a long day; we’re headed to Willow Lakes, a total of almost 15 miles and 6,100’ of climbing. Day 3 is relatively easy with about 800’ of climbing and more than 4,000’ of descending over 8 miles.

The general itinerary is:

Day 1 – Drive from Denver and hike 14 miles to Camp 1. Elevation gain is approximately 5,800’
Day 2 – Hike 14.9 miles to Camp 2. We will face a 2,000’ Class 2 climb on talus and cross 4 passes on the day. Elevation gain is approximately 6,100’
Day 3 – Hike 8 miles and return to Denver. Elevation gain for the day is approximately 800’

Registration:

If this sounds like it might be fun, please email me three of your recent hike/backpack trips including your objective/destination, distance hiked, elevation gain, and time to complete. Also let me know your anticipated base weight and confirm you have all the necessary gear. If you aren’t sure then let’s discuss. Please feel free to email me before registration opens as I will pre-populate the roster pending Leader approval.

TBD