The Riches of Aspen

8/1

Well, it was bound to happen one of these years: I finally had to take a rain day today. Not that it was really raining very much at all. Actually, it was pretty much just drizzling at the most. But the problem was that I was in Aspen specifically to hike the Maroon Bells - arguably the most-Instagrammed mountains in the States (puke) - and I wanted good weather for it, dangit!

On the advice of a local, I parked Jane in the one garage in town that caps out at $10/day. I grabbed my bag and set out in search of breakfast, since I hadn't wanted to sit in the drizzle to make oatmeal. After checking out a few places, I quickly modified my search terms: I was looking for breakfast that cost under $20. How in the hell you can pay more than $20 for some eggs is beyond me.

I ended up at Poppycocks, a bustling little place that promised amazing never-before-seen eggs for under $15. Cool. I squished into a seat at the breakfast bar, asked the waitress about a couple of items (namely, which she would recommend), and then instead got advice from someone else at the counter, because the waitress couldn't recommend anything except what I definitely didn't want to eat. Strange. Anyways, what I finally ended up with was a kind of eggs benedict-florentine, which was reasonably good but certainly not worth $15. But one thing had been made clear to me in the short period of time I had been there: Aspen is an expensive town.

I wandered around town for a couple of hours, feeling more and more disillusioned with each passing moment. Maybe it was because I was rocking hobo levels of grime, having not had a proper shower in 4 days, so I was feeling a little out-of-place. But everyone seemed dressed to the nines for whatever their chosen activity was. Children in brand name polo shirts. Men adorned with glitzy watches and sunglasses, wearing shorts with who-knows-what logo stamped all over them. Women in the most expensive activewear, looking brand new. It was just a bit much.

I went into some shops, and didn't really like those either. Everything seemed to carry a bigger price tag than it would normally in any other city, for no discernible reason other than "It's from Aspen!". I found what appeared to be a rock and fossil shop - joy! - went inside, and found an entire wooly mammoth tusk being sold for $280,000. I also found a very fake palm leaf and skate specimen for a modest $96,000.

My conclusion, ultimately, was that Aspen is a pretty town on the surface, but entirely too self-obsessed. Certainly, it is far too nice for the likes of me! So I retreated to a Starbucks (this town is so swanky that there's only ONE Starbucks) and hammered out some blog posts, checked up on life on the outside. And it continued to drizzle.

Around 3:30, the clouds finally parted and it warmed up a bit. I was ready to get out of town, so I took the bus up to the Aspen Highlands Resort and bought a ticket for the bus going up to the Maroon Bells.

As obsessed with image and tourism-centric as Aspen is, it really does a remarkable job taking care of its natural resources. Cynically, I guess that could be just another reflection of their desire for a perfect image, but I'd like to think that it's not. Certainly, the Maroon Bells are the most photographed mountains in the States, appearing on social media incessantly. But they are also truly awe-inspiring in their beauty and the people who come to Aspen all want a glimpse of that. So though Aspen is all about the finest things one can buy, it is also, in some part, about recognizing and preserving the beauty of the natural world.

Consequently, the town of Aspen takes the care of its mountains very seriously. All vehicle traffic up to the Maroon Bells is prevented between 8AM and 5PM, and tourists are required to take a bus up instead. This reduces the crowd, drastically reduces emissions, and prevents traffic-related wear and tear on the environment. It's a similar system to the one employed by Zion National Park, for the same reasons. I'm a huge fan. Enough of a fan, in fact, that I mostly forgave my bad in-town experience in my appreciation for the town's out-of-town experiences.

The bus ride up was both pleasant and enlightening, as the driver rattled off interesting facts about the Bells and the surrounding area as we puttered uphill. Most notable were the staggering scars on the hillsides, evidence of massive avalanches that occurred this past winter and spring. As a whole, Colorado got more than double its usual snowfall this year, and Aspen saw 300 or 400% more than usual. The result? Amazing summer blooms, of course, but also devastating avalanches that crushed large trees without even slowing as they roared down the hillsides. The wreckage was impressive. I bet the real thing was even more so.

The bus finally arrived at the trailhead, and I piled out with the other tourists. Fortunately, there weren't too many people around since it as the end of the day. I took the oppotunity to poke around a bit, checking out the best photo spots and hiking partway up a couple of trails. Just reconn, really. The forecast for tomorrow is supposed to be much better, so I wasn't too worried about seeing all the sights today. But man, even on a cloudy day, this place is spectacular!

I kind of liked these mountains better, to be honest... I liked the red color and the jagged peaks! Still not sure what they're called though. 

Cheesing it up

Yes, the water really was this green - it was filled with some brilliant green filamentous algae that made for a cool reflection with the forest in the background. 

I determined that this is "the spot" for the best pictures - we'll see how it looks tomorrow!

Once I got back into town, Jane and I returned to the campsite and more drizzle. Hey, at least it makes for great sleeping weather, even if it makes for a terribly boring blog post. So, sorry about that... tomorrow will be better! Kelly signing out.