Alpine Autumn

A week ago, we were high in the Rockies, enjoying camping in a place where autumn had blossomed in all its glory.

We awakened to a beautiful sunrise, reflected off a lake below us, early one morning.

Just after sunrise, the sun's rays lit up Shyla's fur, making it look reddish. I love the light at sunrise!

We went back to sleep after sunrise because it was still below freezing in our campsite. When we finally found it to be warm enough to leave our sleeping bags, Shyla and I went for a mountain bike ride.

The golden aspens on the slopes around us shined brilliantly.

It was hard to keep moving. I kept wanting to stop and take photos. The combination of rugged peaks and golden aspens is incredible.

While I took photos,  Shyla kept zooming around, filled with incredible happiness.

Shyla continues to surprise me with her new trusting and outgoing attitude. While we were at a beautiful viewpoint, a pair of BIG guys wearing helmets and other gear rode up on ATVs. Instinctively, I started to assess how to prevent Shyla from being scared by them.

While I was forming a plan to keep Shyla from being scared, she trustingly wandered over to greet them as they got off their ATVs. They were super nice to her, petting and playing with her. After meeting them, she was so happy about her new friends that she did zoomies in a circle around the two men and their ATVs. I just smiled and laughed - and I didn't explain to them how amazing her behavior was. I think it's time for me to stop telling people that Shyla was fearful. It's a label that we can leave behind, especially when we're in her home territory - the mountains.

She is so at home in the mountains that I almost never see any signs of fear anymore. The city is a different story but that's not where we live. Even I get stressed out in the city!

Her zoomies made her pant in the warm sun so she cooled off by splashing around in a small pond surrounded by autumn-colored willows. You can barely see her tail in the right part of the pond in this photo.

Then we headed back toward camp. To my delighted surprise, I noticed a Fireweed still blooming inside the ruins of a mining cabin. The logs and foundation rocks must hold enough heat to help a plant keep blooming so late at over 11,000' elevation.

It was a relaxing and gorgeous trip. I hope that we can do even more autumn traveling in future years!