(Failed?) Fall Fun

It’s Fall in Colorado and I was on a mission to enjoy the changing aspens this weekend.

Plan 1: Go car camping with friends on the Kebler Pass in Crested Butte. We got a group together and were going to do a day hike in the West Elk Wilderness. Then it snowed. And while we have an awesome 4 season tent that is used on Everest and could fit all our friends, they were less excited about camping in nearly a foot of snow with highs hovering near freezing.

Plan 2: Do a closer pass drive with a day hike. We settled on Guanella Pass and a hike to the Square Top Lakes.

We woke up early on Saturday, stopped in Golden for some coffee and breakfast sandwiches and headed to the mountains. It was a gorgeous drive and as we went further into the mountains the aspens were getting more vibrant and I was so excited for our day. Until we got to Guanella Pass and it was closed for a race.

I may or may not have thrown a mini hissy fit about how I’m not allowed to have ANY Fall fun after two failed attempts. Then we decided to go to Plan 3.

Plan 3: Scenic drive up to Mt. Evans. I was bummed that we weren’t going to get a hike in, but at least we’d see beautiful scenery on the way to our wedding spot at Summit Lake. Except that road was closed, too.

Plan 4: We drove past Mt. Evans to Squaw Pass, which was just beautiful. It wasn’t Kebler Pass, Guanella Pass, or Mt. Evans, but luckily, it is really easy to find beauty in Colorado. Check it out for yourself: