Carr Peak with Sadie and Minnie

I am on fall break this week and will stay local. I will try to do a hike a day nearby just to stay active. Today I chose Carr Peak because I have been overdue with a hike up there.

There were heavy clouds over the peak in the morning so I waited until early afternoon to get going. It looked like it could rain, but the clouds stayed over the mountains and avoided the valley. There were still dark clouds above when I drove to the trail head, but I had to get out and up that mountain. I knew I had missed the fall foliage but the elms were still turning yellow.

I got to the trail head at 1:17pm. There were several cars in the parking lot. There was already a sign on the parking lot dumpster that there would be no trash pick-up during the "government shut-down." The camp ground across the road, Reef Townsite, was also closed. Trespassers would be fined $5000 if caught anywhere within the closed-off area.

Fall was clearly in the air today. I smelled moist leaves. Sadie was looking tired and I hope it's just from yesterday's exhaustion and not that she picked up giardia from the canyon creek. I didn't see any diarrhea from either dog, though. She moved slowly and never ran, always staying near me and walking at a consistent pace. Minnie was her usual spunky self and running ahead.

The colors today were a mixture of yellows, lush green, and grey. The recent mountain moisture must be rejuvenating many of the fall flowers, or at least keeping the foliage alive.

I stopped at the Old Sawmill Spring to let the dogs drink. They did, and they also cooled off their paws in the mud. I noticed a wildlife camera on a nearby tree aimed at the spring. How long has that been there? What kind of animals is it looking for?

The aspens were already past their prime as we walked through, but the elms were still changing. There were still plenty of wildflowers that were slowly changing to seed. In two weeks even they will be dead and the colors return to blah browns and greys.

Several people were coming down the peak. Once I was at the peak at 3pm, there was no one else. A cold front had moved in and I had to put my wind breaker on to stay warm. I gave the dogs some water and shared my day-old Swiss cheese bagel with them, and then quickly wanted to get off the peak. Even my hands were cold. When was the last time I had cold hands? Minnie, however, insisted on playing fetch with the biggest sticks she could find.

The dogs had fun. The clouds were spectacular today despite the wind. I didn't see any migrating hawks, though, or much wildlife in general. I was aware of bears but perhaps the dog's movements scared off the big animals ahead of time. Nature is slowly setting in for the upcoming winter.

I passed a USBP van going up the mountain road as I was going down. There was just enough light for that agent to get to the top in daylight and ready for the night shift.

I got back home by 5:30pm and learned that Kevin was laid off again because of the government shut-down. His recall only lasted three days! We will have to pinch our pennies for a while.