When life gives you a mountain.....just climb it.   The sense of it moving....is literally every step you take to conquer it. 

A nice, semi-cool afternoon allowed us to shed a couple of layers of warm clothes in order to begin the hike to Taggart Lake. 

Temps were again in the low 60's and it was early enough afternoon to not worry about getting caught too close to dark in case we arrived at the lake and hung around for a bit.  

We had semi-bundled up most of the day.

I always enjoy the waterfalls on these hikes.  No matter how small or big.  

We stopped at the bridge on the beginning of our hike and took a few minutes to enjoy some angles of the water and the rocks against the mountain backdrop.

After a little bit down the trail, the trees became an interesting factor.  These are some of my favorite trees of all.

I love Aspen and Birch trees.   

I don't know what the orange film is on the tree in the photo below, could possibly be a fire retardant of sorts.

The fall colors were amazing.  The yellows and reds, golds and whites ......all against the mountains.  It is a palette of color to behold at this time of the year.

It was mostly quiet as we walked.   

Again, we were in off-season, so there really were not a lot of folks to bypass and deal with on the trails.  

Sometimes I can't decide if I like to hear other voices chatting in places like this....(so, I'll know there isn't a bear nearby.....hahha)...or if I'd rather hear the birds chirping and the wind blowing the leaves in the trees.  It's kind of a mixed emotion for me.  ha

We finally did come upon a family hiking in front of us.  So, I took a moment to capture them against this magnificent mountain.

It gives a good scale to the place.  

This part of the trail made me feel as if we were in the movie "Sound of Music".  It literally had that "feel" to it.  Especially once we got through the Aspen/Birch groves.

The mountains sat before us like thrones. 

In one way it was like we would climb them at any given moment and another it felt like it would take forever to get to the edge of them.

I just kept staring and staring at them in wonderment.

It was so beautiful.  Looking off to the right at the grove of Aspens/Birch trees was as if they were appointed their very own special place to grow.

I was amazed at how green everything was in this area.

The trail itself wasn't bad. It obviously was a well-worn trail from other hikers.  At times, it was a little rocky and like any other trail you needed to watch your step so as not to stumble on a rock.

There were soooo many unique views.

After the mountain mesa, we began to enter this forest.

It felt a little daunting at first.  

We stopped close to the beginning and sat our backpacks and gear down.  I sat my camera on the tripod and took several shots to capture an overall feel for the place.

Every now and then, the sun would peek through and give great shadows.

It reminded me of "Robin-hood's Forest".  Kinda creepy.  

This is when I felt a liiiiiittttttle more vulnerable to what we may encounter.   I have to admit my nerves were a little "touchy" during this part of our trek

We finally arrived at the lake.  It was just as beautiful here as the other lakes we had already hiked to. 

Talk about peace and quiet.  We had this place all to ourselves.  

My only guess was the other hikers had gone further down the trail to other areas. 

I love how the light plays on the mountains and the foothills in the photo below. 

No....I can't get enough of beauty like this. 

As a landscape artist, I have a unique need for lots of color in my life.

It's hard sometimes living in a "concrete jungle" with no real sense of solitude or quiet.  

This is why we escape to places like Grand Teton or Yellowstone NP's.  

Any time for disconnection and silencing the voices is always alright with me.

Well, till next time......happy trails to you.

Over and out,

Mrs. Rogers