Autumn Hike to South Willow Creek Falls in Colorado

Aspen leaves adorned the evergreen branches and scattered along the path much like rose petals at a fall wedding.

Autumn has arrived with gorgeous landscapes and football. When deciding on whether to hike on Saturday or watch the Colorado University vs. Washington State football game, my husband Danny and I chose the great outdoors. Washington was ahead 21-7 in the first quarter when we last checked.

We chose to hike the Mesa Cortina trail to South Willow Creek Falls just outside of Silverthorne, Colorado. The round trip distance of 8.75 miles was daunting. Pfft! Surely the waterfall would appear in the first mile or two. We would watch for the landmark of a large boulder to let us know we had arrived at our destination.

We started our hike late in the day, but we expected to be back by the 4th quarter of the game.

We were drawn in by autumn’s beauty and the curiosity of what was beyond the next turn.

It couldn’t be too far anyway.

“How far is the waterfall?”

“Twenty minutes or so.”

A half-hour later we met some people walking their dogs. I asked, “How much longer to the waterfall?”

“Twenty minutes.”

The shadows were getting longer.

And longer.

 NO ONE said, “Do you see those mountains out yonder? Well, the waterfall is up there on the right.”

Nor did this guy.

First I said, “Don’t shoot!” Roxy jumped backward at the sight of him and his face paint. Danny stepped on her foot and she yelped.

Then I asked, “How much further to the waterfall?”

“About twenty more minutes.” No lie. That’s what he said.

Was this the rock?

Or this one? I have no idea, but they were as blue as these photos.

We finally made it after two hours of hiking!

Danny and Roxy take a quick break.

The waterfall wasn’t very impressive, but we didn’t have a lot of time to explore. The sun was sinking fast, so we picked up the pace back to the car.

While scrambling back down the mountain, I got a call on my cell phone.

How was it possible to get cell service way out here?

My mom was screaming, “CU just won the game 35-34!” The last 10 minutes would have been fun to watch, but we would have missed all of this.

We assured her we would be careful and kept moving.

It’s official, time does fly with familiarity, hence the miscalculation of time. The trip back seemed so much faster.

We would arrive back at civilization, after a short jaunt through a spooky forest.

Complete with a spook!

The haunted month of October is just around the corner…There will be many more outdoor adventures along with a few missed football games.

Are you looking forward to October?

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Related posts:

Bike Hike to Bridal Veil Falls – Photo Essay with Altitude

Striking Gold – A Photo Essay

Going for Gold – Fall Photos