A Day in the Aspens

October 2, 2012: A Day in the Aspens

October 3, 2012
10 months & 3 weeks

Yesterday my little family and I had one of those days.  A family day.  A happy day.  A I-never-want-this-day-to-end day.  Just me and my boys.  Yesterday life was grand.

We FINALLY recovered from what I have deemed our "Month of Sickness".  We were all itching to get out of Dodge and enjoy the wonderful fall weather.  What better place to do that than in the aspens??  The stars must have been aligned because we made it out of the house before 9 (with mom showered and baby fed).  Colter quickly fell asleep in the car, allowing my sweet hubby and I to have a great conversation all the way down to Mt. Humphreys.



We took the scenic route along Rte 151 - a dirt road that winds along the side of the mountain and the perfect fall drive with lots of aspens.  We had plenty of "Ooo's" and "Aaah's" before we eventually reached our trail head.  Even Owen was talking away in the backseat, willing us to get there already!

 

The hike was splendid.  The aspens were a golden yellow and fell from the trees like tear drops when the wind blew.  More than once, we stopped hiking and stood completely still.  Listening to the sound of Fall.  Smelling the fallen leaves.  It was a bit of heaven.

Owen ran wild!  Chasing squirrels, catching whiffs of deer, searching for new scents - he didn't stop running for two and a half hours.  Today he lies at my feet utterly spent.  Perhaps dreaming away of running through aspen groves and green fields.  I'd like to think so.

We stopped for some photos.  Why is it so darn cute to have a baby sit in fallen leaves?  We dropped leaves on his head, buried his legs... He tasted his first aspen leaf.  He seemed fascinated by all the new colors and sounds.  Mildly confused when CJ placed some leaves on his head.   He sat in the kelty backpack and quietly observed the world.  A few shrieks of joy sent chills down my spine.

Today my husband hikes into the Inner Canyon for a few days and Owen, Colter and I hold down the fort.  Owen has put up with Colter crawling all over him today - tugging at his ears, playing with his gums.  The pup is so exhausted he appears not to notice.  When he sneaks a peak through a sleepy eyelid, I swear I see a smile in those golden eyes. 

Colter has currently wrapped himself in a sarong and looks a bit like Mother Mary.  I look down at him and he smiles up at me with the light that only a child can show.  I am madly in love.