Neither of us are poets. Yet our hike on a blustery fall day through trembling Aspen groves in the Gunnison National Forest at Crested Butte, CO, inspired us to give poetry a try. And so, with a nod to junior high English teachers everywhere, we present: “Ode to Autumn at Crested Butte.”
Ode to Autumn at Crested Butte
From The Coastside we traveled east,
‘Cross deserts vast on highways least.
We had one wish for autumn bliss:
Golden aspens we could not miss.
In the Rockies, 6,000 feet,
No fall splendor. We felt defeat.
Scrubby desert with dusty weeds
Would not fill our seasonal needs.
We went online for revelation.
What was needed? Elevation!
To Crested Butte, our car it flew.
9,000 feet, that ought to do.
And do it did. On hillsides high
Above Slate River we did spy
Groves of aspens, decked out in gold,
bent by wind and fluttering bold.
A long loop trail we did hike.
(We had to dodge, the random bike.)
Big white clouds ‘gainst deep blue sky,
Colors popped. Rocky Mountain High.
Each grove had a different feel.
Green, gold, orange – all had appeal.
In some, the leaves hung firm and tight.
Others yielded to the winds might.
Across the trail leaves did scurry.
We enjoyed the yellow flurry.
It dappled firs with gilded trim.
And on our faces left a grin.
We stopped to eat inside one grove,
Screened from the wind and from the cold.
Back on the trail, all done with lunch,
One last delight, crisp leaves to crunch!
And so we left the fabled Butte
All out of breath, weary of boot.
But we were happy to have seen
Fall at its best. Our minds serene.
NOTE: Our hike at Crested Butte included portions of the Lower Loop, Upper Loop and Tony’s Trail.
This post is the eighth in a series about our adventures on a 6,000-mile road trip across the American West in Fall 2019.
Part 1: Getting our Kicks in Route 50 in Nevada – ‘The Loneliest Road in America”
Part 2: Strolling among Nevada’s Bristlecone Ancients at Great Basin National Park
Part 3: Finding Pando: Utah’s 80,000-year-old Aspen Grove Hides in Plain Site
Part 4: That Time We Lost the Trail High on a Ledge at Capitol Reef National Park
Part 5: Weary of Iconic Vistas at Canyonlands National Park? Hike to Upheaval Dome
Part 6: Scrambling Beyond the Bus Tours in the Devil’s Garden at Arches National Park
Part 7: Night Sky Brightens a Visit to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park