Miracle on the Maroon Bells: Climber survives 500-foot fall off North Maroon Peak

Miracle on the Maroon Bells: Climber survives 500-foot fall off North Maroon Peak

Climbing North Maroon Peak, a 14,022 foot mountain in Colorado’s Elk Mountains, is a feat in and of itself. But falling 500 feet from the mountain’s edge and surviving — as Brandon Hinkle did on Aug. 16 — is something else entirely.  The Maroon Bells have earned their nickname “The Deadly Bells” for a reason — between 2000 and 2015, 20 climbers died while climbing them, according to previous reporting from High Country News. Luckily, Hinkle avoi…