Carr Peak in October with Ellen, Patrick, Sadie and Minnie

Ellen emailed me a few days ago asking me if I were interested in hiking with her to Miller Peak via Carr Peak. I said I was interested, although that distance so late in the day (after her church services) was a bit daunting. Ellen recently had surgery and is still feeling fatigued. I was surprised she would want to go so far so soon.

We started the hike just before 1pm from the Old Sawmill Trail at the lower Reef Townsite campground. I hadn't gone up this way in years, preferring the upper trail for the easier ascent. This trail has suffered serious erosions with deep crevices down the lower trail. Someone hiking this section at night not expecting a dropoff could get seriously hit.

We never made it up Miller and just made today's hike up Carr Peak. Patrick, who was with us last year hiking up Blackett's Ridge, had never been up Carr Peak.

I had been up here just two weeks ago, when the Golden Rods were in full bloom. Now the yellow colors have faded to dull seeds of brown. Only a few aspens were still leaved, and what yellow we saw were from elms at the same elevation.

The dullness around me translated to what I expected to be a boring walk: no wildlife, no wildflowers, no wild weather other than some wind. There were no hawks or ravens overhead. I didn't see other birds, either. But instead of birds we spotted paragliders over Reefs Campsite. Today was the first time I've hiked up Carr Peak to see paragliders below me. There were at least three of them gliding along: a white, green and orange glider took turns sailing overhead. We stopped several times to watch them. The two dogs were oblivious to all that.

People were coming down as we were going up. Today's traffic was already so much busier than two weeks ago. And when we got to the peak there was already a couple resting in the sun with a Cheasapeake Retriever who never let his eyes off my dogs. Then another woman came up with two more Aussies so that there were five dogs on the peak at the same time.

It was remarkably calm on the peak. I never had to put on my wind breaker. I sat with Ellen and Pat and the two dogs facing the north, munching on an apple while the dogs got each a can of high-end dog food. We finished off the water I had carried up.

We were up on the peak for almost an hour, although it didn't feel that long. We were the last ones to descend, giving the other dog owners time and space between us. We got back to the car at 4:30pm, perhaps my latest time on the peak so late in the year. The shade was dark as we climbed down, and we all agreed that it's getting cold this time of year after sunset.

The dogs were exhausted when I got back.