Maroon Bells Colorado in March.
The face of three inexperienced dudes from Texas about to a experience a life or death experience.
WildernessOn my first backpacking trip, I brought cans of soup and beans for food, packed jeans and flannels for clothes, and filled up any extra space with cans of beer. My pack probably weighed 50+ lbs for a two night trip.
And, no, I didn't know how to use the straps on my pack properly to make sure the weight was distributed well.
lol hip straps? Not for me do I look like a soccer mom? - me in 2009 at 15
Could be a fun idea for a post here - talk about your very first backpacking trip and the mistakes you made haha.
I brought a giant can of Dinty Moore Stew and forgot the can opener.
Yeah I've only gone overnight backpacking once, this sub just popped up in my feed. But the one time I did go I had the exact same experience. I actually weighed the pack, it was 45lbs. I only stayed out one night with my friends. My pack included canned food as well, a whole extra gallon of water, and way too much "gear" I didn't use, like my folding shovel in case I had to bury my poop.
I did, at least, get the strap adjustment right and was amazed how much the hip straps help.
On the return trip I ended up getting tendonitis in my foot. I wonder why. Ended up limping for two weeks with foot pain, lol.
Sounds like you coulda dropped some gear and food for more beer. Rookie move
I was waiting for the "but I forgot to bring a can opener, so I spent the trip hungry"
As a more experienced hiker I have now cut enough weight to fill up any extra space with cans of beer.
Your comment is so good. Everyone seems to forget they were once also a newbie with lots to learn.
My first backpacking trip was a mandatory 3 week trip doing 12 miles a day in the Montana wilderness. Lessons were learned. (Rehab shit)
Wow 3 weeks off the jump! Where you rehabilitated through the experience? I love Montana wilderness. I spent a week in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. I would LOVE to go back. Top 5 favorite backpacking trips.
Spent 3 weeks in Bob Marshall in my youth. Best trip of my life
The bob is the 8th wonder of the world. Shout out to anyone who has experienced it. Have done a lot of healing in that place.
I'm pretty sure I saw a documentary about this..
That sounds awesome. Pretty brutal for a first time tho.
I also carried my pillow from home and packed five books
Ahhh the buffalo
How much alcohol is in those packs?
You've presumed they haven't leaned their phones up against their wagon cart of ale to take this photo?
LMAO. A liter of Everclear
Yeah, that fits. This might as well have been a photo of my cousins 15 years ago. You look like you’re up for fun. If I could retroactively give you advice, it would have been: Keep the mileage down on this trip. If there’s a nice space 2-3 miles in, set camp and have fun. Stay warm and stay hydrated. Don’t skip a meal.
Y’all made it back in one piece? Sounds like a success or at least a learning experience. Try again in warmer weather, and “life or death” hopefully won’t be part of your caption.
Im a Texan man and I grew up getting kicked out of the house for extended periods of time and then walking as deep into the chaparral as possible. Many many many cool ass actual near death experiences but it was so much fun that I would do shit like slam the door hard in my moms face just to get tossed out for a bit 🤣
It also boosted tf out of my immune system as I’d inevitably drink water from the lake or the creeks that you come across in the wilderness here. real nasty thinking back but it was a hell of a lot better than heading back home and facing real punishment like endless chores.
I took 8oz of everclear while backpacking on the arizona trail and people thought i was crazy. y'all took the whole bottle, this shits gold
to be fare, everclear is a good source of fuel for an alcohol stove
Bill The Pony is pulling that cart. He's grown up fine and strong, like the sons of Samwise. And he's more than tough enough for the job.
The bells in March. Enjoy the snow boys.
What are these bells people are talking about
4 pass loop in maroon bells wilderness. Probably the most popular backpacking loop trail in colorado. Many novice hikers get permits to hike in May, June, or even July thinking it's a summer hike with maybe a little leftover snow, only to discover that it is impassable without winter and/or mountaineering gear. When I did it in early August it was snowing on one of the passes and was freezing at night at all three of our camp sites. If you did it right now, you would require, along with a lot of other gear, an axe and real crampons.
Guessing a lot aren’t actually novice hikers but Colorado or west coast novices. The east coast has no elevation that gets consistent summer snow (occasional storm on the high peak summits) so people travel and don’t do their research. The east coast and west coast of North America are two different hiking experiences.
California transplants see the New Hampshire elevations thinking it’s nothing and end up with as much a workout as the Sierras cause a lot of our trails are rocky, steep and direct (very rarely graded zigzags)
As an east coast hiker I like to pretend I've never heard of a switchback.
I went to the High Peaks area for hiking last November and it really kicked my ass lol. I went in very prepared in terms of equipment, but wasn't expecting the rocks or the steep straight shot up the mountain!
Yep especially in the Adirondacks, most paths are just old herd paths. If it's good enough for a deer, it's good enough for us, lol.
I once did mount Marcy with a group in college and one of the guys had a fancy GPS device. We could tell we were getting near the top and had been hiking for two or three hours, so the guy checks out his GPS and it says we are pretty close, only half a mile of so left to go to the peak. So we all go off trail a bit to try and find a view of the peak from where we are. It was so very discouraging lol. Although from the perspective of the GPS, in a straight line, the peak was indeed not far. But in between us and the summit was a deep valley. We had to descend and finally climb marcy itself, straight up the steepest trail yet. Some of the hardest steps I have ever taken!
So worth it. At the summit it was stormy despite being perfect weather otherwise. A cloud was being forced over the peak and the winds were so great I swear if I'd jumped up I'd have been swept away right off the mountain. We didnt get a great view that day because of it but to me that sums up the Adirondacks. Its beauty is a rugged one. The hardship is the prize. The peaks are jagged, the landscape is broken. There is no topsoil but still countless trees grow on and between the stone. Our mountains aren't the tallest. Our views aren't the longest. But we have all the lakes and ponds you could ask for. There is something truly humbling, yet affirming, about an environment so unforgiving yet so full of life.
I'm glad you came to the area and got to experience it!
Switchbacks aren't real, they can't hurt you.
Why is dude wearing jeans? Thats a mistake
There’s more cotton in this picture than a hotel linen closet.
Everyone’s first backpacking trip is about learning first-hand what real blisters are and how terrible cotton/denim is on trail. Let them live their truth!
What is the alternative?
I track my walking with an Apple Watch and average around 10 miles a day just walking around work pacing around my house walking around my neighborhood. I wear only jeans. And I work on damned roofs all day installing crazy ass telescoping poles often in really awkward areas that require you to do climbs/crawls that have you rubbing your body hard against materials. Ima say it the jeans be necessary where I live if you want to go into the wilderness. There’s a reason actual cattle running cowboys (who still do very much exist) that spend sometimes months practically alone in the wilderness mainline jeans. Horse riders too. Idk why people think they cause more chafing or any of that. One time I wore some lightweight hiking joggers to work and fucking ripped my pants open slicing my right leg all up in some damned bushes just trying to walk into the woods to take a shit real quick. Man I was so fucking angry I can’t explain it. The joggers were expensive ones that were a gift.
Jeans are great for working in, but usually you don't end up on the side of a mountain in pouring rain and 50 degree temp. That is when jeans kill you.
Only experienced, or well prepared hikers will understand your reference. It’s funny as all get out!
Or just regular ones that know not to wear cotton.
Express ticket to Chafe Town
gotta live, gotta live
lol I knew more than a couple people who hiked the entire John Muir Trsil in Levi’s in the 70’s and did quite well. In those days Levi’s and flannel were about all anyone would hike in
Eh, we were all new to this at one time or another. I brought jeans my first time too but they were for camp.
lol, exactly. My first backpacking trip about 20 years ago in the Weimenuche Wilderness in Colorado’s San Juans: packed a change of underwear for five days, didn’t have hiking boots, just wore running shoes, regular cotton socks, jeans, no beanie, hoodie, carried cans of tuna and chicken, didn’t pack a rain coat. It poured on day one, we waded across waist deep frigid rapids, and I immediately lost one of my flip flop/camp shoes.
Loved every minute of it and was hooked. (I’m much better prepared nowadays.)
My first was in the enchantments in Washington, my buddy applied for the lottery and we got it. I wore Nike SBs for my footwear. We were out for like 7 days or something and I quickly ran out of food and for like the last 3 days i ate 1 top ramen for breakfast and 1 for dinner. And we brought Bacardi 151 to be able to drink something but save on weight. The whole thing was a fun shit show. My buddy also got low on food, but not as bad as me, but of course he shared with me. For the last couple days all we talked about was food and what we were going to eat when we got down. We were 19 at the time. Anyway, it was fucking ridiculous.
Haha!! I really want to do Washington sometime! Done day hikes there, and backpacked coastal Oregon, but the lushness of the PNW just makes my CO brain trip out!
And the enchantments themselves were super vibrant. At lower elevations it was evergreens, then higher up there were deciduous trees, and given we did this in late September, there was tons of browns, reds and golds, and then even higher up its tons of rocks, and this really red ground cover. And there are alpine lakes at all elevations. It was wild.
Sounds about right. Most of my gear was from Big 5. I’m talking backpack, tent, sleeping bag, pad, cook set, etc. I mean when you’re just starting out and you don’t know any better, it is what it is. And those REI prices can be STEEP to someone just trying to find out if they like it or not.
I think for most people starting out its clear whether they hate the experience or hate the gear they brought.
You mean you're bringing a can opener too nowadays?
I wore all terrain wranglers, with thermals underneath…in march.
Made it a half a mile before pants became scarf and I ripped my thermals into shorts.
I brought a flint striker thinking I was on survivorman or something lol lighters/matches are cheaper and lighter
Totally. According to some sources in this sub I should have died multiple soaked, frozen, waterlogged deaths by cotton for my first several years of camping. Along with everyone else who went outside before polyester was invented in the 1930s.
We still had wool before polyester, no?
Most of the clothes in Europe (don't know about US) where made of wool, which is exactly what is recommended for that wet & cold. But really most people don't really hike in weather where that truly matters.
I once wore jeans because I figured it would just be a casual 500m through the bush to the lake. Off-trail, but still, what could go wrong?
I sunk into a swamp that had a thick layer of moss overtop. Up to my ass cheeks, in the jeans that were my only pants for the trip.
I still had fun, but it was an uncomfortable learning experience to say the least.
he’ll learn a valuable lesson 😂😂
I mean, he did say they were inexperienced. Best way to learn is to just do it
They’ll be okay
It says March, so the assumption is they lived and posted this well after the trip. And it’s likely to live, as that is a well established and beautiful trail system. Colorado parks are NICE!
I’m just sayin if he falls in love with hiking, I bet he gets legit hiking pants for his next trip 👍
The Colorado mountains in the month of March would be a death defying experience in and of itself. If you don't want to die of hypothermia on the well-established and beautiful trail system of the Colorado parks, go there in August and not in March.
Or the machete? It’s winter, what brush would he need to cut through?
Love seeing people cosplaying/trying to look cool while they walk on a trail
In case he has to machete a bears head off while it tries to eat him at night lolol
Someone in this picture doesn’t realize this is their last weekend with two hands.
Referencing that wild machete video where dude lost his hand?
They’re backcountry jeans!
I used 'hiking jeans' (+ waterproofs as required) for years in all sorts of weather and on different continents and all went well. Until that one time I went severely hypo in very cold and wet weather and thought I would just keel over. All heat and energy had left my body. Bought proper hiking and cycling trousers after that.
Let alone a Bowie knife, a full sized thermos water thing...I could go on.
r/ultralight having a total meltdown
Still - I bet they had a great time.
Hope they brought the baby powder!
Press f
Cotton kills, boys.
Why's that? (I'm a noob)
It retains water, whereas alternate fibers like wool or poly wick and evaporate much quicker. Because cotton dries slowly, it is no good if you’re wet and cold, which is a pretty common condition experienced by backpackers.
Saw the jeans ... RIP that guy
My WFR instructor calls them hypothermia pants lol
Forget hypothermia, my boys going to be chafing heavy.
He’s gonna need a months supply of Gold Bond when he returns.
My brain initially went to heat, which didn't make sense to me. Hypothermia makes sense though.
But he's holding an AXE! He's fine.
Put your clothes for tomorrow in your sleeping bag. Two pairs of socks. Vent your tent. Camp away from the river. Get insulation between you and the ground to sleep.
not only does it retain water (wool does too actually a fair bit) the more important thing is it loses its insulation properties when wet. wool also holds water in its inner fibers away from your skin.
And in Colorado, you will 100% experience the cold and the heat from sweating! We got to learn the hard way!
Would Cotton then be a good material for hiking in dry and hot climates?
Cotton is great when it’s hot and dry. I will do multiple days of trail work in the summer and love cotton shirts because they keep me cooler. Still bring non cotton layers in case the weather turns though.
Try it and find out. Some folks swear they’ll kill you. I wear cotton shirts hiking, backpacking, and for field work (geology) and I do fine. Seems to be a personal thing.
I do use poly blend hiking pants for backpacking, but it’s canvas work pants for field work and they’re fine. Hot and heavy and they dry slowly and they’d suck if I had to swim and I definitely wouldn’t wear them backpacking.
This guy hikes. Listen to chumbawumba.
So…. Perfect for the desert??
Cotton absorbs water dramatically. If you're in a cold setting you'll accelerate freezing yourself to death by wearing cotton. In addition it dries poorly, if you sweat through a cotton shirt on day 1 of a trek it could very well still be damp the next day. Also because of how much water it absorbs and retains you carry more weight in cotton than if you were in polyester or Marino wool.
We ‘say cotton is the fabric of death!’
Wait, what about “the touch, the feel of cotton. The fabric of our lives”
Yes and no, I always heard that saying when I got into mountaineering. I never go full cotton, but I always bring 1 cotton t-shirt. To me, nothing beats trekking in a comfy cotton shirt. I hate the polyester shirts for the most part.
That you love it doesn’t negate the knowledge behind the saying
What's the knowledge behind the saying cotton kills?
Cotton dries slowly keeping you cold. Fibers loosen when wet allowing heat to escape. Bad for mountains
Wool insulates even when wet. Synthetics dry the fastest and insulate but get stinky.
I prefer wool tops and synthetic, quick dry bottoms. Wool Long Johns as needed
I agree that there are few things as beautiful and comfy as a dry cotton shirt. The issue to my knowledge is that cotton soaks up sweat very easily, but it takes a long time for it to evaporate.
This means that in cold weather, it is EXTREMELY easy to lose valuable body heat when wearing cotton, because water saps heat a lot more easily than air.
That is why a lot of people use polyester, wool or something else that is either better at allowing sweat to evaporate, or is better at insulating while damp.
I usually keep one because on realy hot days it's nice to get it wet and put it on to shed heat quickly. I also keep one back at rhe car to Chang into for the drive out.
I bring a comfy cotton shirt to sleep in when I go on backpacking trips
I love that the dude has a LITERAL SWORD WITH SCABBARD for his first camping trip. 🗡️
Hobbits have gone to Isengard, indeed.
I opted for a hatchet on my first. And got in big rouble for hacking up a sapling. But I was just a 6 years old halfing
You all, it’s May. So they’re either all dead or one of them survived to post this considering the caption says the picture is from March.
Also, I live here, not a chance in hell this is Aspen in March.
We had a fat snow year, and honestly still have snow on the ground lol.
In fucking MARCH? From TEXAS? I hope you brought your crampons
All the people giving them shit for new camper mistakes are one thing, but this is the real issue. No way they’re making it over the first pass
Yeah the bells in March is a mountaineering trip, not a backpacking one
...isn't it may? Am I crazy?
The text below the photo says “in March”
Shouldn’t we have an update by now?
They’re dead. This was posted by a ghost
Yea dude this is mental. After this years snow, that won’t be hikeable till late July or August. For fucks sake we got 2’ in Leadville a few days ago. The snowpack in the mountains is generally pretty solid.
I’ve been in this picture. Godspeed mates.
Good luck E4 Mafia
Giving me more terminal lance vibes
Underrated comment. They probably tied their packs on top of their 26% interest rate Mustang to get to the TH.
That's awesome guys! Wishing you the best of luck! There's some good and not so good feedback in the comments....you'll learn some lessons the hard way but don't we all?
But did you die?
Why aren't we all asking this? I'm terrified!
I’m sure the bears will stay away, with knives THAT big. Have fun.
All that camo will hide them from the bears right?
Post holing with 50lbs on your back. No thanks.
Nice! Axe and machete, safety pants! Hope you packed a full cast iron skillet az well
Looks like fun
Godspeed men 🫡
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Looks like the biggest threat that will be faced is carrying more crap than you need.
Found the team no fun ultralight guy. Maroon bells in March is no joke, I'm surprised they look this light honestly
Who needs a hatchet? Or a machete? I guess. What is that knife?
I see lots of folk pack with such gear. And I see the damage they do.
- Team no fun - don’t maim shit just because you are bored -
totally agree on the large silverware, its very dumb, but really in this area in march, any of the popular routes are going to be camping on several feet of snowpack in subzero conditions. If i were doing the 4 pass in march id certainly not pack like this but id have a similar size kit if not more. My guess is this trip was a pretty hefty learning experience.
All right. I retract my snark.
I hope they had fun.
Funnily, after this whole exchange, my guess is they had almost no fun. My god, the little we have to go on about what happened, this was a horrifying trip that will be fondly remembered in 10 years.
i write a lot of tickets for this BS “bush craft” stuff. ethical outdoors people do not need five different ways to degrade nature.
I cannot imagine how big their first aid kit is. Probably a small hospital
What an experience to experience as someone who is inexperienced
As somebody who's climbed them... That's not for the inexperienced. Definitely dressed like Texans though. I'd love to assume they went up and over the nearby pass/es with soft winter mountaineering gear... and camped at an alpine lake. Good hike... not necessarily risky, but they don't look prepared at all for that hike in March.
Texans love to show up to Colorado to die, no basic mountaineering skills, clothes, etc... or driving skills apparently. Don't mind Texans but ffs they have the stereotype for a reason.
Machete and hatchet. Lol. Hope they're not the type to hack up living trees like morons tagging rock formations.
Pro tip, jeans don’t handle water well.
Just bring a camera and curse a lot while shaking it around to pre-cut noises. You will make millions.
I've always wanted to do a group backpacking trip with my guy friends, but they are all lazy and afraid 😭😂
I'm planning on going with a group from MeetUp so we'll see how that goes. Gotta put myself in place of people who want to do these things, if I want to do them too.
I had a very, very outdoors growing up in the interior of the PNW. Tent camped and packed in everything from rainforest to -10, probably colder but I don't remember specifics. I lived in Texas for years and have met many Texans. You're mostly nice folk, but rugged and competent in the great outdoors are rare words I would use to describe people from that part of the country. It's not your fault. You have near zero public lands and your outdoor culture revolves around owning a Yeti cooler.
"This is a good group of boys. We're all gonna die together out here. You're a good group of boys to die with, I'll tell you that much."
At least they are all wearing what appears to be hiking shoes/boots.
Got any details? That load out looks absolutely miserable. How far are you hiking?
Maroon Bells is 26 miles and 8K in elevation. That's the same elevation gain as summiting 2 14ers or 2 4K mountains on the East Coast. Not quite the Presidential Traverse but definitely not easy.
There's also multiple active avalanche paths across the trail, even just up to the summer TH.
These boys seem to have a lot of gear. None of it appears to be the avalanche shovel, probe, or beacon they might actually need.
March seems like an incredible time to go backpacking. It is. In Arkansas. Or in Texas.
Unless folks are just itching to snow farm or build their winter mountaineering skill, it's a horrible time to backpack in the Colorado Rockies.
I went up to Maroon Lake to stargaze in March. Got passed on my way down by four guys who looked like they had really seen some shit. They’d been up there for four days and said that the first three days were all just digging trenches.
I am thinking maybe they went briefly above Maroon Lake? Hiking the Bells as in the hiked within viewing range of the Bells?
Neither Maroon Peak or North Maroon are entry level, especially not North.
That’s if they do the entire four pass loop but I doubt that’s what’s going on here.
Thought this was posted in r/lastimages for a sec
I hope no SAR personnel gets hurt when they have to save you.
Mountain Rescue Aspen: (970) 920-5310
This is how you get experienced….the first one will probably be…jeans are terrible hiking wear 🙂
Happy travels though!
Well I hope you inexperienced dudes end up experiencing some experiences. In my experience, it’s better to experience experiences than to experience inexperience.
Remember the TV show “Alone”? 10 people get dropped off in the Arctic circle right at the beginning of fall. One dude from Texas was so “bad ass and the best survivalist” broke his leg almost immediately. Dumb Texans think the whole world is like Texas, when in fact everything is 100% better outside of it
That’s rad fellas, young men should test themselves! Make the smart and safe decisions. Work together and your going to be fine.
Have fun and learn lessons guys. Nevermind the haters commenting here.
Last seen in front of an aspen Grove.
So how was it?
A lifetime of memories in the making. Enjoy the times my friend.
Something happen to these dudes?
Jeans? Yikes!
Surely OP will provide some context. Surely.
In jeans with phone in pocket seems like the most uncomfortable way to live lol
i hope someone brought the lube
You will do fine and have fun!!
Nothing like going into the backwoods with a death wish while wearing low visibility clothing so we never find their bodies.
I guess I'm curious how much of their gear was unneeded, what pieces of necessary gear didn't make it, and were there any lessons learned?
Straight up, for so much gear, avalanche gear should have been part of their load out for March in the Maroon Bells. And it doesn't look like they have that.
There's the 10 Essentials. And then there is: oh fuck, snow on steep slopes.
A Thermos, why didn’t I think of carrying one by hand!? /s
I hope this is the setup for your found footage film.
Great 👍 have fun. You will do fine, probably the biggest risk are not animals but making dn decisions, turn back if it gets too much
My boy on the right has been on his knees I see 👀
Everyone is talking shit, but seriously just learn. For some reason, I did my first 40+ mile hike with a 50 lbs pack, no water tabs, and a radio. What the hell was I going to use the radio for? It was mid-summer; there were no safe water sources. These gents look semi-fit. I'm excited for them.
A lot of preaching here about how the denim is cotton and that it will ruin the hike.
Honestly, I do not find denim to be that bad. Any major chafing could easily be mitigated by some proper underwear, chalk powder or some medicinal tape. And at least I rarely sweat as much through my legs as my feet and upper body.
Cotton is a pretty common material for rugged pants for outdoor use, like the guy to the left has. The material has performed well in militaries for a long time. Of course I'd choose wool over cotton any day of the week, but I would not care that much if I could not get my hands on it.
Also, the only parts of my kit I really care about are my underwear and socks. Especially the socks. And some of my most utilized ones (military issue) have a great deal of cotton in them, but the fabric is weaved to transport the moisture up the leg. They work very well.
There is more to moisture condensation than choice of raw material. My advicde is to not get too fixated on the "wool vs. cotton". Unless you've got a fat fat wallet, then just go nuts on gear!
So many haters on Reddit. Just let people be happy and enjoy themselves in their own way.
What's with the Bundeswehr jacket?
So it’s May 15 right now while I type this, and you’re going in March…. like next year?
the huge knife is a nice touch.
Dude on the right has a death wish with denim jeans 💀
My money is on DEATH.
woah they experiencing an experience woah
Life or death, lol. Alpha legends in their own minds. It's a camping trip. With jeans...
Did you guys increase your experience with the experience you experienced?
fucking jeans, that dudes gonna die!
Jeans are a bad idea but HYOH
The Reddit just for bears has this on “r/menu”
Cotton kills, fellas.
Dual wielding the machete and hatchet is a nice touch.
Need a bigger knife? How bout a sword?
Is that guy wearing cotton jeans?
Rambo has a hatchet and machete on his belt. This is going to be fun
Pretty sure this is how “The Ritual” starts
Maybe you can experience an experience and then you’ll be experienced for the next experience thanks to this experience
“He got a really pretty mouth ain’t he?”
The experience of three inexperienced experiences about to experience an experience of inexperience
Y’all enjoy. Take notes on what went well and what went poorly. You picked a good first spot - hard for anything dramatic to happen in such a populated location, but I’m sure there will be lessons learned!
Comment section making me very thankful my first backpacking trip wasn’t documented. Got probably 3000 miles and 300 nights under my belt now, but I’ll be damned if my first wasn’t me with a jansport, buffalo trace, actual firewood, and carrying my pillow from home under my arm the whole way lol