A Place Where I Find Perfection and Contentment; Between Two Towns
Drive five miles west out of the heart of Aspen on Castle Creek Road and you will lose phone service, but also your breath. The trailhead for Conundrum Creek Trail starts in a dirt parking lot alongside a private residence. Leaving your phone in the car will not be the only thing that stays behind on this hike. “Conundrum” as the locals call it, is one of the world’s best natural hot spring feed camping sites. With a hefty pack on your back, there is no room for stress or anxiety. Your burden from work-related problems that keep you rolling in bed due sun rise stays behind you as simplicity and perfection await you.
Found almost exactly between the two towns of Aspen and Crested Butte, Colorado, the Conundrum trail and hot spring are as close one can get to heaven on earth. From the parking lot trailhead to the hot spring and campsites, expect a relentless incline surrounded by meadows of wildflowers, forests of Aspens, and streams rich in trout. Keep an eye out for deer, hummingbirds, and bear on this eight-and-a-half-mile hike from the Aspen trailhead. You will find one dozen campsites all within a five-minute walk from the twin hot springs.
On one particular August evening, I sat in the bigger of the two hot springs with a friend overlooking the valley and taking in the view. With a slight head turn to the right, over my shoulder stands Castle Peak at 14,265 feet. Castle was glowing while the sun was setting behind it. I looked to my left just moments after and I see the waxing crescent moon. Not more than an hour and a half later we were in for a treat. The August Perseids Meteor Shower was just reaching its peak. The campsite and hot spring sit gently 11,200 feet high. Summer or not, it is chilly once the sun drops and the moon is at glow but the 102°F hot spring is what keeps me coming back. Getting out of the hot spring and running to your tent in a towel or a t-shirt can be one of the most mentally and physically challenging but fun things in the world. Once I crawl in my 20° synthetic sleeping bag, I am asleep by the time you count to…
Morning wake-ups while camping in the mountains are the most peaceful time of my day. I have time to make a cup of coffee sitting on a nearby rock or edge with my feet dangling writing in my journal, taking deep breaths, and smiling as the sun beats down on my chapped face. Conundrum Creek Trail and campsites are a perfect place. It is easy to say I am most content found camping in the mountains or next to the ocean solo or accompanied. Almost nothing can beat the sound of raindrops falling on the rain fly of your tent, the brisk mountain breeze shuffling through the pines, and the clinking sound of carabiners that make up the DIY multi-functioning rack rig attached to the nearby trees aside of your tent. If you find yourself lucky enough to hear the roar and break of waves crashing on the shore, then you too are perfectly content.
I have been privileged enough to have 80% of my life’s experiences split in the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. My call to home is free-diving ten meters under the ocean’s surface or an eighteen-mile hiking and camping trip. Whenever I am down, sad or dreary I call upon Mother Nature to raise me up. Spending my nights in nature allows me to “be lost without getting lost”. As humans, we can feel deprived without quality time outside. Watching a movie featuring the Earths oceans and mountains cannot compare the natural instinct behind human behavior. You may not get WIFI in most places, but I promise you will find a better connection.
