Aspen to Crested Butte for Vinotok

For my birthday, some friends and I decided to hike 12 stunning miles from Aspen to Crested Butte on West Maroon Pass. We began our journey at 5:00 am, hoping to avoid the crowds of tourists that tend to gather at the Maroon Bells - and we did just that.

It wasn't until we began ascending West Maroon Pass that we saw other people on the trail. The top of the pass revealed remarkable views of the surrounding valleys that reached toward Aspen and Crested Butte. It was a beautiful fall day, and we lingered quite a while on top of West Maroon Pass.

The descent was quick and in a short amount of time we found ourselves back in the trees. We popped out of the trees into the parking lot about six hours after we began hiking that morning. We enjoyed a cold beer and some lunch before piling into the vansion and heading into town for the Vinotok Festival.

Vinotok proved to be even weirder than expected. I treasure small towns, free spirits and wacky festivals.