Golden Colorado Autumn in a Jeep

The boyfriend decided to sell his Honda civic and buy a Jeep wrangler instead.  I can only say that it seems to fit him, and Colorado, perfectly.  Lots of driving on back roads that had previously been beyond our reach.

 <<Ladies, can you blame me for holding onto this one?>>

 <<She likes to pee in water for some reason but usually she drinks first>>

 <<Makes me wanna take a back road...put a little gravel in my travel>>

 <<Just some fence sitting>>

 After admiring the roads and the changing colors we decided to walk along a trail inspiring this little writing...

"Rotten air reaches up in tendrils from the damp floor of the forest smelling familiar of a long awaited autumn.  We make our way from the dirt path and begin picking through the stiff grass a path of our own, our feet making offbeat rustling with each step.  Light streams down in rich, golden beams enhanced through the many yellow leaves whispering a welcome to our presence.  I look ahead and watch you stride beneath the golden arches framed in silver beams. We manage to hop from log to log until we reach that fallen tree and balance our way out to the middle.  

Whoops and hollers echo up from the bike path just down the hill and we sit immaculately still.  The most innocent of beings comes through the thicket.  A doe and her fawn, wary at first, but then comfortable and unaware of our excitement to have company.  In the silence I realize how different the aspen grove is from all other forests.  No squirrels scurrying back and forth chattering at anything and everything.

An entire fortress of trees all agreeing the time for autumn has indeed arrived.  None trying to outdo the other in its seasonal frock but rather celebrating together in a holy cathedral.  The same dancing breeze knocks the aspens and from down below it sounds as though the forest is rocking itself to sleep for the coming drifts of winter snow and howling, bitter winds."

 

*Flickering gold and Increasing cold*

Kmegan

Gothic- Not Gotham

All summer long I have stared out at the magnificence that is Gothic Mountain.  No, batman does not have a hideaway here.  That would be GothAM, dear tourist you!  Finally, I got to climb up to it's peak. Unfortunately there's not much of a trail head available so we began at a mountain biking trail known as the 403.  By we I mean; Adam, Nick, Millie, neighbor's dog Owen, plus myself.

 

 <<What you can't see are my legs awkwardly holding me up on tippy toes>>

 <<The boys and Millie>>

After hiking almost all of the 403 looking for the cutoff we turned around and began bushwhacking our way to the spine of Gothic.  Finally, we found a trail. After coming back and reading other trail reports online it appears that bushwhacking is necessary- climbing over numerous downed logs, through meadows of pricklies, and the occasional wetland.

Of course there was a false peak.

After spending about 15 minutes on the actual peak a huge cloud had rolled in amazingly fast and began to hail.  Poor Millie had hail balls stuck all in her fur.  Trying to hike along the razor-sharp ridge to get down we could hear the wind howling over into the canyon on the other side.

In order to avoid staying up near the peak in case there was lightening, we very smartly *sarcasm* decided to cruise down the loose rocks on the side.  Sliding, having heavy rocks landing on our feet, sliding, trying to stand.  Not the most efficient descent I've been a part of but oh well.

We ended up hiking into a deep v-shaped valley (To Neil: what is the difference between a V-shaped valley and a U-shaped valley?), crossing through a swamp, straight up the other side of the ravine, across the spine of a smaller ridge, until we were once again joyfully reunited with our biking trail, the 403, and a nice, easy walk back to the car was achieved.  Both dogs were exhausted, all three hikers were exhausted, no way of knowing the mileage, no way to know the gain in elevation.

Gothic Peak: 12, 625 feet

Done.

*Tumbling Talus and Windy Malice*

Kmegan