Hiking is a favorite pastime for most anyone who lives in the Rockies, and we go every chance we get. With all the open space in our county, all you really need to get going are a pair of great hiking boots and some good friends.
We started this morning's adventure at a creek, with the mountains looming all about us.
Isn't this creature exquisite? Looks like a spiny urchin beneath the ocean:
Of course, it isn't. It's really a giant dandelion, otherwise known as a weed.
One of my fellow adventurers climbed to the top of this extremely tall rock (gulp!) to survey the land before us. One cannot tell from this photo, but the rock she's standing on plummets straight down:
Mo of the mountain, the famous trail dog, probably works five times harder than any of us, because he only weighs six pounds and must be diligent in order to keep up. He does indeed keep up, and never complains.
Sparky is behind him. Her job is navigator.
Can you guess what this is? And no, I didn't edit this photo in any way at all other than to crop it. The colors really are this intense:
It's the bloom on a cactus.
Examine the photo above closely and see what is hidden in the aspens. 
The leaves are beginning to change! That's right, soon the mountains will be ablaze with Fall colors. This is my favorite time of year to hike and take photos. Stay tuned for updates.
