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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Great pictures, indeed. What a fun adventure! You have to make the most of this gorgeous autumn weather, which is my favorite time of the year. I’m not much of a snow-bunny so I’ll hike in the woods right through October if I can.
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I love Autumn colors and I love October! Thanks for sharing this!
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Thanks M! I do too!
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Yes! And I have so much to do. Can you give me another September? Nice hike, we used to hike a lot!
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I do too! It is hard to find a balance sometimes….I have really enjoyed the fall color this year!
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Your photos are just excellent from this hike Susie! I feel like you guys just picked up the slack from our absence this fall in the wonderfully beautiful CO! We miss it already.
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Wow! Thanks so much Michael! I hope you are settling into Cali life. Fall here has been unbelievable for color, but we are now getting our first storm in a while. I can hear thunder rumbling outside….
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wow! that is cool..we will miss the big weather changes. supposed to be 84 here on Sat (only 68 in the city)
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Nice Photo Essay… that was a lot of 20 minute hiking for that little piss-ass waterfall. Roxy looked real impressed… better not mention waterfalls when you drag her out for the next hike.
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Oh I know! Sheesh!
She’ll refuse to go next time! I think it may have been more impressive a little further, but we ran out of daylight. Literally!
Thanks so much Ted!
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Nice journey, as always! You do a great job with imagery.
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Thanks Nelle! I am working on improving my skill level and have a lot to learn!
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Great pictures. Living in Las Vegas I really miss the mountains. Glad you had a short, fun hike.
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Short???? They just kept saying 20 minutes but it was 4 hours round trip! Hahaha!
Thanks Brian. I am so glad you stopped by for a virtual Colorado hike!
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I honestly get lost in your photos! I really felt like I should have been turning pages instead of scrolling down with this essay. I really enjoyed this piece.
Roxy looked a tad tired…I’m sure the agent has already been on the phone demanding a spa treatment.
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Thanks so much! I am really getting into photography, but am limited by my cameras…One is my phone and the other is my compact Nikon Coolpix.
I forgot one photo of Roxy off-leash since no one was on the trail on the way back. She looked disgusted because we couldn’t keep up with her! Hahaha!
She was so filthy, Danny gave her a bath and only half the dirt came off! 🙂
You’re right. I will call the spa today….
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October is my favorite month!
Scott
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I love it too! Thanks Scott!
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Great adventure, Sue. And lovely pictures. I think my personal favorite is the second from the top. Did you interview the guy as research for future stories? Fun.
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Thanks Debra! No, I didn’t interview him, but he was an interesting guy! At least he allowed me to take his photograph!
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Gorgeous photos, as always, Susie 🙂
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Thanks Cecile! It has been a beautiful fall with the first rain in a long time, coming in today!
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Great pictures Susie! So proud to call this place home! (the CU game was really awesome though… :))
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Thanks so much!
It sounds like a game to remember. Oh well!
We couldn’t do both at that point.. Thanks for stopping by John!
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Good choice – you had the score fed to you, anyway. The waterfall was a bit of a let-down, but then I suppose all are that. Our Victoria Falls is a let-down on a very large scale. Especially when the river is in flood.
Are you quite sure that what sounded like ‘Twenty Minutes’ to you wasn’t something like ‘Tawentei min uts’ which is Mohican or Apachee or something for ‘One heck of a long way’?
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Tawentei min uts… Hahaha! I had a good belly laugh over that one! I can’t believe how many people told us that!
I think we had a little bit of a hike to go to get to the more impressive part of the falls, but we ran out of daylight. I would say, “next time,” but we seldom hike in the same place. 🙂
Thanks so much Colonist!
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fab pictures, Susie. well done
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Thanks Louise! It has rained for two days so we’ll see if the fall color lasts….
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Wow! Can I move in with you both, and Roxy of course. Haha! Right… I’m going for a long walk this coming weekend… I’m enthused with Autumn leafy inspiration thanks to your photos 😉
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Thanks Barry! Come on over! It has been beautiful and the fall color is just starting to change down here in Boulder. I hope to take some more photos!
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Oh yes, please do take more photos!!!
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