The drive to Aspen is only 200 miles, but takes all day because the only road there travels up and over Independence Pass (12000+ feet, view from road pictured) on the Continental Divide. The steep road is narrow and hard to drive, with no shoulder or guardrails, and endless hairpin turns.

Driving this winding cliffside road is horrifying and not for the timid -- and should only be attempted by the most hardened and experienced drivers with nerves of steel (I don't recommend it -- and should have stayed in Rocky Mountain National Park). This road is so dangerous, it closes completely in winter -- and it takes more than an hour to drive the final 10-mile stretch into Aspen in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

If you survive the drive, you'll discover Aspen is a cute & pretty little town -- but trying (& failing) to handle the massive amounts of traffic that its popularity creates. The traffic and congestion here are the stuff of nightmares -- and I'm saying this as someone who lives in Midtown Manhattan. If you are able to locate a place to park anywhere in town, grab it and explore on foot. Finding parking in Aspen is only slightly less difficult than finding Sasquatch.

With the weather starting to change and the trip nearly over, I have time for just 1 more hike -- and I contemplate the choices for tomorrow.