Golden Aspens and Runaway Dogs

The changing aspens and the need to so something other than ride on two wheels inspired today's adventure...a hike to Hell's Hole outside of Idaho Springs. Horrible name for a great 7-mile round-trip hike that traversed through beautiful aspen groves and ended at a beautiful meadow situated underneath a mountain peak and complete with high-altitude wetlands. To top it off, we learned a lesson in patience and good timing when the dog ran off for 10 minutes without any trace, only to re-appear at the same instance that we ran across my former teammate Megan, her husband Matt, and their cute new little puppy. They were the perfect bate to bring the dog back to the trail and from then on she stayed on-leash. It's easy to get excited when you're a dog on your first hike and just want to chase all the squirrels and chipmunks back into their homes. I think our next training lesson will be how to respond to "Laya...come!"



Getting in my upper-body workout for the year.


Me and Laya, the albino Rhodesian Ridgeback.



We hit the aspens at the perfect time when they were all golden.


Chris "the Dog Wrangler" Winn.


The final destination below Gray's Peak.