We hiked across the valley on the other side of Aspen in Hunter Creek.
Here is a map of the area with Aspen at the bottom of the map. We hiked the green trail that goes up the valley and right on to the red one. From the beginning of the trail this is looking down on Aspen. You can see all 4 ski areas from left to right is Aspen Mountain-right in town, behind is Aspen Highlands, then Buttermilk and you can see the very top of Snowmass above Buttermilk.
The trail started in scrub oak among some of the huge homes. Then up into the trees by Hunter Creek.
The trail passes through aspen and flower studded meadow with several homestead cabins. Mahonia, tansy, acorns and a variety of flowers.
A very green meadow. The remains of one of the cabins off the meadow.
The view from the cabin and another cabin in a little better shape.
Butter and eggs, service berries, the marks on the aspen trees are from the elk eating the bark on the trees during winter when they can’t get to the foliage under the snow. In the second set claw marks where a bear sharpened it’s claws on the trunk of the tree, yellow asters, and pussy toes.
Beautiful aspen groves and yellow asters.
Salsify seed head, gum weed, a grasshopper clinging to a knapweed while it devours it, a cornerstone for a property, gum weed and autumn looking leaves. John in a flower studded meadow.
In the evening we went to the historic Wheeler opera house in downtown Aspen and saw the first night of the Mountainsummit film festival in Aspen. We were there for adventure documentaries. Very good films. Eric one of the son of some California friends stopped by to visit on the way to work. He is a back country ranger and hikes the back country trails.
Rain washed and sun dried pine needles. I boiled them in glcerine yesterday and left them out over night in a hard rainstorm to rinse them. Linda, one of the other hosts came by with her sister and daughter to buy some jewels. Nice setting for the display.
We drove over to Avalanche hot springs near Redstone only to find out you need reservations and they were full. So we went up stream to the free Penny hot springs. They were quite nice and very hot. When we got back the resident deer was in camp with her fawn.
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