The lush trail
Crossing a bridge over West Maroon Creek
A small lake along the creek. I couldn't tell if it was beaver-built or not.
Fireweed with the Bells in the background
Wild rose
Penstemons
Green Gentian (also Monument Plant) is monocarpic. This means that it produces flowers only once in its lifetime of 20 to 80 years and then dies. It can get up to 6 feet tall.
Possibly a Boisduval's Blue, a member of the Lycaenidae family
Moths are closely related to butterflies but can be distinguished in several ways, such as the shape of their antennae, their resting wing posture and body structure. The Police Car Moth is one of the few species primarily active during the day.
Up close and personal with a swallowtail
We turned a bend and saw this marmot sitting quite peacefully. ...
Suddenly, it hopped from the rock and disappeared. ...
A moment later, it came barreling down the path right at me! It showed no indication of slowing down. ...
At the very last moment, it turned off and disappeared under a rock. This seems to be my day for charging fuzzy critters!
We were quite tired by this point, so we started our walk back to the car.
A last look back
A view of the underwater beaver trails
More beaver evidence
We had encountered these two old guys earlier in the day on their way to Crater Lake. The man on the right is carrying an oxygen tank! His friend, the man on the left, had had two replaced hips. It was very impressive how determined they were to still get out and enjoy life.
We began our drive back to the campsite. Unfortunately, we had to go through Aspen again... during rush hour. The traffic was horrendous. So we squeezed off the road at the first restaurant we saw. It was closed but fortunately the sign on the door said it was opening in 5 minutes. It was a bit pricey for what you got, but it was soooo wonderful to have some hot food... and a nice beer!
By the time we were finished eating, the traffic had all cleared. It started to lightly sprinkle on the drive. Just as we pulled up, the heavens unleashed, and we scrambled for the tent under a torrent of rain and thunder.
