Green, Yellow, GOLD, Orange and Red!

September 27-29

Having been so busy with the move and all that comes with it, I hadn’t been camping in about 5 weeks!

In an attempt to miss the leaf peepers and weekend traffic, we left early Saturday morning instead of after work on Friday. While there was some traffic, at 7am it was far less busy than it must have been the evening before.

We headed back to SW Colorado, to the area we visited in July, We enjoyed it so much last time, and…there were SO many aspens in the area, hopefully we would catch peak without having to deal with the masses that accumulate at places like Kenosha Pass this time of year.

Without breaking the drive into two days like last time, we had a 5+ hour drive ahead which I don’t mind, I enjoy driving quite a bit.

We arrived at the trailhead at about 10am, aired down and headed into the wild!

Needless to say, this part of the state is breathtaking! It seemed that we were about a week early for peak but the leaves were still magnificent!

The last time we were here, we didn’t see a soul on the entire eastern part of the trail, almost 30 miles. This time, the first two camp sites we passed were taken which got me a little worried that I had made a mistake heading out on a Saturday. This area has not yet been overrun by humans so campsites are very spread out, 1-2 miles between most. So, even with the first two spots being taken, I hoped we’d find some solitude and onward we went. The third site we passed was open but not a particularly desirable site so we decided to test our luck and keep going.

As the road lead out of the forest and into a valley, there was an offshoot, unmarked on OnX. I parked and hopped out to scout it before driving down. There, just behind a ridge was a flat grassy area, surrounded by aspens, with a fire ring and no people within a couple miles! This spot was almost perfect, it just lacked the views I hoped for. The spot I planned to head to was nestled up on a ridge overlooking a valley of aspens and was at least another 30 minutes down the trail. Judging by the fact that the first two spots were taken, I figured it a safe bet to stay at this spot and not proceed to the planned spot, knowing it would likely be taken. So, we settled in and setup camp.

Choosing this spot turned out to be a wise decision, the rest of the afternoon was quite windy and we were well protected here.

After setting up, Chili and I went on a walk around the area and then returned to camp to make dinner.

I hadn’t felt particularly good since setting up camp, in hind sight, I think my body was finally able to relax after all of the turmoil that comes with moving and just gave into the exhaustion. After dinner we retired to the tent early for a movie, then to bed. I have never slept as well while camping as I did that night.

In the morning I woke up feeling so much better!

After breakfast, we headed out to explore the area before heading halfway home to find camp for the second night.

The display of leaves we saw over the next few hours was indescribable and we didn’t see a soul until reaching the western part of the trail.

Finishing the rest of the trail we got to the intended spot from the day before, it was indeed taken as well as all surrounding spots. I’m glad I chose to stay where we did!

Chili has a thing with cows!

Our next planned camp spot was above tree line and as we neared the area, storm clouds brewed over the peaks. With a recommendation from a friend, we readjusted plans and headed to a different spot, well below tree line and out of the potential danger of lightning!

Since it is leaf peeping season, the area was still very busy, even on a Sunday evening. Besides the leaf peepers trolling the area, the spot my friend recommended was near perfect! Just a few feet from a bubbling stream, nestled within the aspens and with a great view of a hill covered in golden aspens.

After setting up camp and exploring, I cooked up a pork chop and enjoyed the view. While eating dinner, we had quite a few little visitors, AKA-chipmunks. Being a more heavily trafficked area, it was clear that people had been feeding them and they were very comfortable with humans.

At one point, I saw one perched on my tire and thought to myself “boy, I hope he doesn’t decide to chew on any wires!”

In the morning we woke to a beautiful sunrise and frost on absolutely everything! It rained quite a bit the night before and then dropped below freezing. Breaking down camp was messy and cold!

When we got in the Jeep to head out, I decided it was time for a little Wang Chung but…the speakers didn’t work! “Damn chipmunks!” I thought.

I was going to meet my friend for breakfast on the way home so I called him to see if he had any ideas. He is wise in all things Jeep.

After breakfast, we popped the hood and he poked around. Luckily, it was just a blown fuse, the chipmunks were innocent. We got some new fuses and fixed it in the parking lot.

This was my last trip before “the big one”. Utah season has begun and my next post will be from Utah, while spending 3 weeks disappearing into the desert! 😊