My favorite local trail...

With all of the cool, cloudy, rainy weather lately (thank you, Mother Nature), I wanted to remind myself that it is summer out there!  What better way than with a trail run in the heat of the day?  So, I laced up my shoes and headed to my favorite local trail at Bear Creek Lake Park.  Why is it my favorite?  A few reasons - 1) it really is never extremely crowded, I usually only pass a few hikers, runners and bikers - 2) it is mostly shaded, at least the 5 mile loop that I normally do - 3) it is not crazy-hilly as so many front range trails are (unless you add a modest climb with Mt Carbon) - and last but not least 4) it is only a 10 minute drive for me!  I do love Green Mountain, as it's out my back door and there's no driving required and I run there plenty, but there is no shade there, so on a hot day, Bear Creek it is!

I start off on the Owl trail just on the south side of the creek, and it intersects the Cottonwood trail, then the Mt Carbon trail and I take the detour on the Fisherman's trail around the lake and back onto the Mt Carbon trail along the north side of the creek - almost exactly 5 miles start to finish.  It's a peaceful run and one I've done MANY times.  I've seen plenty of critters from large coyotes to a bald eagle chowing on a fresh catch from the lake.  Tom fishes there with Lucy quite often in the summer and Lucy HATES the beavers in the area - they torment her from the water and have even caused her to fall through some ice (in shallow water) in the winter - of course from her chasing them when she shouldn't!  Rascally critters!

Well, even though today was warm, I saw signs of fall - there were quite a few small bunches of yellow aspen tree leaves (pic below), and even some in other kinds of foliage as well.  I do love the fall, followed by ski season, but then, of course, I'll have to strap on my winter weather gear and running snowshoes to enjoy this local trail.

Tomorrow we head up Mt Silverheels off of Hoosier Pass - one of Colorado's centennial peaks -I'll try to post pictures...