Hiking Maroon Bells Separately vs traverse

[druid2112]

If you're asking I'm pretty sure you already know the answer.

[justiner]

I'd go with the traverse.

Fear of Heights is one of the most universal of fears, and you've gotten a long way in handling it - or you wouldn't have the summit peak list that you have today. Keep going!

[douglas]

I have had this dilemma as well. My skills are not up to the task of the traverse. I thought about backpacking, dropping my pack at crater lake and hiking North Maroon with an experience partner. Hike down, grab big pack then camp near the turn off for Maroon and hike that the next day. I may try to do that next summer.

[CharGalli]

Endure the misery at once do the traverse ... So far the hardest I've done and I am glad cuz I am not repeating that one... Bring a small pack and a water filter cuz u don't want be carrying extra weight

[Trotter]

Endure the misery at once do the traverse ... So far the hardest I've done and I am glad cuz I am not repeating that one... Bring a small pack and a water filter cuz u don't want be carrying extra weight

Where would you have her filter water? Theres a stream on the descent of north maroon, but you are like 2 miles of class 1ish walking to the parking lot at that point. Less then an hour.

[CharGalli]

Yup , right about where I ran off my water ... Well to be honest it was already all gone , and you will probably run out of water ...
And those few miles without water would be hard... My lucky it's that I meet a guy that had one and kindly shared with our group... After that I never hike without one

[DArcyS]

If you're asking I'm pretty sure you already know the answer.

Yes, "If you think you can or you think you can't, you're probably right."

But in this game, if you think you can and you're wrong, the consequences are severe. Thus, safety first for the prudent.

[bigredmachine]

Find a partner with a similar goal. Two sets of eyes are about 500% better than one when you are pushing your self to a new level. There are so many people on this forum with this same dilemma as you, you really should have no issues finding someone to team up with if you post a couple weeks ahead. I would suggest, rather than set a list of criteria’s for a preferred partner(aka asking for a free guide), just wait, see who responds and then discuss hiking styles and preferences to make sure you are a good fit.

FWIW, and maybe it was just one of those days, but I did the two separately, and Maroon by itself was “effortwise” harder than day hikes of Capitol and Wilson/ED. It’s a bear. The descent gets pretty miserable towards the end. If I did maroon again I would definitely do the traverse just to avoid having to descend Maroon.

One other thing to add...if you do the traverse, make sure you do your research on descending north maroon. I wouldn’t say the route finding is super hard, but it’s not easy either, it’s imperative you find the right gully to descend.

[Gandalf69]

Do Capitol first next summer, or sunlight. I haven't done any bells yet but I've done those 2. Their exposure can warm you up for the bells.

[NathanRL]

Don't hire a guide.
- Don't hire a guide to to save time unless the experience of climbing another mountain is so horrible that you'd spend $575 to avoid it.
- don't do it because you want the experience of having done bells traverse, because you didn't get the experience of building the skills to do it independently.

Do hire a guide.
Do hire a guide because they're someone who loves being in the mountains, is trying to make a living doing it, and can show you the way, tell some good stories, and maybe teach you a thing or two.
You're not any less skilled if you go with a guide than if you go by yourself, unless that skill is routefinding.
You are more safe, and safety's great. Safety's worth a lot of money.

This just reeks of the way climbers will say "oh, you climbed that route? Yeah, well I soloed it." We both got ourselves to the top. You might be a stronger climber than I, or you might just have a higher risk tolerance, so you decided not to use protection. But taking fewer safety precautions doesn't make anyone cooler. Do whatever's comfortable for you.

[randalmartin]

I was in a similar situation as you, the Bells were #54 and #55 for me, and I hired a guide to do the traverse. Worth every penny. It made the trip much more enjoyable and I was able to focus more on the physical execution and less time being concerned with the safety. The cruxes on the traverse were protected which made it all about fun.

[HikesInGeologicTime]

My personal answer to the question of Traverse vs. separate visits: Unless my experienced climber buddy gets it in his head that he’d like to pull me up the Class 5 sections of the Traverse, I will be doing these two separately. I have another friend who has indicated his willingness to revisit N. Maroon with me if I don’t mind waiting until next year for that one, and I feel confident that I can do S. Maroon solo. I am also currently lacking the skills to do anything rated higher than Class 4 without a rope, and I have things I (again, this is just my own individual set of priorities) would rather spend my fun money on than hiring a guide.

That said, as far as the overall question of guide vs. no guide goes, I think NathanRL already said it best:

Do hire a guide.
Do hire a guide because they're someone who loves being in the mountains, is trying to make a living doing it, and can show you the way, tell some good stories, and maybe teach you a thing or two.
You're not any less skilled if you go with a guide than if you go by yourself, unless that skill is routefinding.
You are more safe, and safety's great. Safety's worth a lot of money.

This just reeks of the way climbers will say "oh, you climbed that route? Yeah, well I soloed it." We both got ourselves to the top. You might be a stronger climber than I, or you might just have a higher risk tolerance, so you decided not to use protection. But taking fewer safety precautions doesn't make anyone cooler. Do whatever's comfortable for you.

But to add on a little, I think it’s worthwhile to consider your long-term goals in the mountains. Are you thinking of taking on the 13k’ Centennials once you’ve finished the fourteeners? Three of those have unavoidable sections of low Class 5, and you may find it more prudent to take classes, join a gym, etc. and invest in the equipment that you’ll need in order to do those on your own or with friends who have similar levels of experience - that would be easier on your checking account than lining up guiding services for at least three more peaks!

However, if you want the one-off outing of doing the Traverse without having to buy all the gear and hoping your/your partner’s skills are ultimately up to the challenge, go ahead and get a guide! It’s no less of an achievement, IMHO, if you pay someone in $$$ to help you across than if you pay them in rides/pizza/beer (which is how I have firsthand knowledge of 2/3 of those Class 5 Cents, as well as firsthand knowledge of just how bad I am at Class 5 climbing :X ), and you’re still learning and building your skill base under settings that are as reduced-risk as it’s possible to find in such circumstances.