My cousins Doug and Liz invite me to join them on a backpack trip with their friends Dave and Shantel in the wildflower wonderland of the Maroon Bells. Who could say no to that? The logistics get a little complicated, but Dad hands me off successfully and we leave the Maroon Lake trailhead right on schedule at 5:30pm Thursday evening.

An evening shower hits us before we find a campsite, treating us to an overhead rainbow.

The next day skies are blue again and we make it over two passes, West Maroon and Frigid Air. I make the first one barefoot, but my feet cry uncle between the two. Let the wildflowers begin!

In addition to insane wildflowers, this range exhibits a huge variety of geological patterns. The day ends with a move from a good campsite to a perfect one.

In the morning I find a porcupine chewing on Dave and Shantel’s hiking poles, and capture some of his escape to a nearby tree. Odd creatures.

The morning’s hike takes us down a steep drop next to a waterfall on North Fork Creek.

I remain enamored with the flowers up to a windy Trail Rider pass.

We flee the windy pass to have lunch over the dramatic Snowmass Lake.

Some rangers give us directions to a campsite in the Snowmass Creek valley. We reach the creek with time to explore, but fail to find it. The designated campsites are good too, if a little mosquito infested.

Our last day takes over the last pass, Buckskin Pass, my favorite. The trail on the west side is friendly to bare feet, and many big peaks dominate the views on both sides.

All too soon we’re back at Crater Lake, then Maroon Lake, then evading the Sunday evening return traffic. I’m thankful to my companions and the unique Maroon Bells wilderness for a blissful trip.

Full Photo Set