Runner: Coach TJ Harms-Synkiew

Name of “Event”: Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop

Date(s) of event: 06/28/2026

Time to complete: 9 hours

Location: Aspen, Colorado

Gear – What did you bring?

Standard trail running gear – gels, water/filtration, layers

Fuel – What did you consume and/or not consume?

I relied almost on entirely running fuel. I consumed at least one gel an hour, used drink mix, and had a few snacks.

Logistics – What kind of planning was involved for both prep and implementation?

This was a very spontaneous trip. I was invited 12 hours before the trip started. A fried of a coworker had a permit. I’m often lazy and don’t put in for permitted hikes but I figured this was a good opportunity to do this one.

Where to find the info on this

This is a very popular route in Colorado. If you look up “Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop” you will surely find it. The biggest thing to be aware of is the required permit. There is no way around this, so figure out how far in advance you need to get a permit. I was lucky this time since I happened to know someone, but this isn’t often the case.

What went “right” or at least how you expected it to go?

This was a week after the Bighorn 100 and I was coming off of a long work weekend, so I expected to be very fatigue. While I was tired, I felt relatively good and was able to move at a strong pace and push myself. This wasn’t a super long effort compared to what I’m used to, so nutrition and fueling wasn’t an issue.

The weather was great. We were unsure of how the smoke conditions would be since there were a lot of fires around the area at the time. It turned out to be perfect conditions, making for great views. We didn’t even get any afternoon showers until after we were done.

What went “wrong” or completely unexpected that you had to deal with?

Since this all came together last-minute, the permit was only for one vehicle, and we got to the trailhead around midnight. Me and another dude found random spots to cowboy camp. It was very windy, so it wasn’t 10/10 sleep.

Lessons learned for either the next trip or another’s first trip?

Aside from acquiring the permit, it’s hard to go wrong with this loop. I believe it doesn’t matter which direction you do it, it would be a great area to backpack, as most people do. Also, there’s a few cool alpine lakes that would be worth spending time at, as well as other trails that stem off of the main loop.

Everything else!

This was a fun, spontaneous trip. The coworker who invited me I had just met a few days before and I hadn’t met either of the other two people who were part of our group