A Carpet of Gold

Chasing the last of the fall colors, today, we found a carpet of gold! We headed up to Black Canyon near Hyde Park to enjoy the last glimmers of gold from our mountain aspen groves. The Black Canyon trail is a picturesque loop bordering the upper watershed that's perfect for a quick afternoon or morning hike. The trail is not usually crowded, and with ample parking and easy access, this hike has become one of our go-to's for quick mountain escapes.

Assuming most of the golden color had already faded to brown from the few cold mornings we've had, we were pleasantly surprised to see such golden trees and fallen leaves --what perfect timing! The leaves created the most gorgeous golden carpet, and the evergreens appear to have golden ornaments where their spiking pine needles caught the fallen leaves. The pictures don't do it justice! I felt like we were in a fairytale.

Did I mention how much I love fall? #besttimeoftheyear

-Rosie

Happy Fall, y'all!

Fall is our favorite time of year! We wait all summer long, dredging through the hot and long days, anticipating the golden-aspen-trails of fall. Beginning the first of October, we spend almost every weekend in the Santa Fe National Forest admiring the golden and glowing aspen groves of the Rocky Mountains.

Our favorite trail for the aspens is the Aspen Vista trail (aptly named)! The trail gets extremely crowded this time of year, so we headed up early in the morning to beat the hordes of people. The trail climbs moderately up to Tesuque Peak offering views of the Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Pojoaque valleys.

 

Aspen trees are the most amazing trees! Massive aspen groves can emerge from one seedling and are connected through one root system. In some areas of the world, Pando aspens are the largest and heaviest organism because of their connection to a single root system. The origin of the root system is also consider to be one of the oldest known living organism today. Amazing! 

Unfortunately, the Pando species of aspen is currently dying. The exact cause is not certain, but it is a combination of drought, disease, and invasive insects that are endangering the trees, resulting from climate change. It would be absolutely devastating to lose these magnificent trees. Our forests would not be the same. To the protection and preservation of our beautiful aspen trees!

-Roxie