Though I adore snow and skiing, I think this might be my favorite time of year in the Rocky Mountains. There’s something about autumn in the Rockies that makes my heart stop. I had the chance to spend some time outside today hiking the woods around Nederland and savoring the beauty of this time of year. The vividness of the gold and orange of the Aspen, the clear, cold nights, the blue, blue skies, the sound of the elk bugling in the distance. It seems like there is nothing better than a perfect autumn day, and today was one of those days.
Autumn not only brings the changing colors, but some of the best weather all year long. It’s not too warm (although it has been warmer than average this fall), the weather is very consistent and stable throughout the day right into the evening. I’ve hiked many of the highest peaks in September and October. In contrast to summer, when I have to get up in the pre-dawn hours to insure I will finish before the typical afternoon thunderstorm rolls in, during fall, there are not thunderstorms. Just blue skies as far as the eye can see.
Fall can also be a great time for wildlife viewing. The elk are in full mating mode — the males strutting around trying to intimidate each other and win over as many females as possible. Standing near a meadow watching them, hearing the piercing sound of the bugle, is magical. But it’s equally fascinating watching the pikas running around across the alpine tundra, pieces of greenery clenched in their mouth, as they scurry to cache their winter food before the snows come.
I’m reminded of the transitional state of autumn by watching the various animals as they change. The goats and sheep looking scruffy like a lawnmower ran over them, as they shed their summer coats in exchange for their thicker and warmer winter coats. And what could be more interesting than spying a snowshoe hare in mid-color change, sporting a brown coat flecked with splotches of white as it moves towards its state of winter camouflage? 
I think there is a wistfulness in even walking the woods among the colorful aspens. I’m reminded that the colors only come out because they have stopped producing chlorophyll and growing, and that the beautiful golden groves will drop their leaves all too soon to go dormant as their method of surviving the snowy and cold Rocky Mountain winters.
How am I changing during this season of transition? My own transition is one more month of working at my parks seasonal job and preparing for a different job in the months ahead. It’s also trying to get in those final hikes while I can, and building up my legs in preparation for the ski season. It’s pulling out my sweaters and boots and packing away my shorts and T-shirts. It’s trying to savor every last minute of this glorious state of autumn while I still can.
