Non-descript Box Spring Trailhead, about 30 miles from Long Barn on paved, then gravel, then rougher dirt road.
The first several hundred meters of the trail gently descends.
Some fall colors were starting to turn on the aspens at 7400'. Looks like fall colors are going to peak early in many areas.
Jasper was a very good boy and kept us on the scent of the trail even though very few folks have used it recently. He tugged a bit this trip, but rarely to go…
Many of the burned snags from the 2003 fire have come down since we last visited in 2007.
Jasper takes a geology break to admire the xenoliths in the early Cretaceous Granodiorite of Poopenaut Valley.
Cattle gaurd for hikers. Oddly, the barbed wire was down. I'm not sure if that means the lease is up for good, or if its a seasonal thing to allow wildlife to…
Everyone loves a good frost-wedged boulder, right?
Close-up of the frost-wedged boulder.
Our trail was a bit more circuitous than I remember from 2007, due largely in part to downed burned snags from teh 2003 fire and the regrowth of willows and…
Small meadow with lots of downed burned snags from the 2003 fire.
It seems likely a strong wind event blew over many of the snags since they were all oriented in the same direction.
Almost got the entire family in one shot.
We last visited this pond in 2007 when it was frozen solid and we threw rocks across the ice to make awesome sounds. These were great fall colors I wasn't…
We last visited this pond in 2007 when it was frozen solid and we threw rocks across the ice to make awesome sounds. These were great fall colors I wasn't…
Jasper also loved the pond.
On the trail side of the pond, huge mats of lichen were grwoing on the cliff faces, giving them a chartruese hue. 5
Jasper was a good boy, even if he got muddy and made it hard for me to photogrpah him in the pond.
Trailside view of the first little lilly pond.
