There is a time in the mountains when the land begins its final stretch before winter. The days gradually become shorter; the sun still warms your skins but starts to burn a little less brightly. The creeks flow fast and cold, already prepared for the ice and snow that is destined to cover their banks. Animals can be found foraging for the last bits of sustenance before the land is striped in the winter wind. It is the time in the mountains when you begin to see the peaks as a bit less hospitable, the wind coming down from the high altitude is cold and dry and steals the heat from your body. But not all turns to cold and dark in these autumn months. There is treasure in the mountains. lakes are colored emerald and sapphire, brook and rainbow trout with scales of jewels cut through the cold clear water. The mountains glimmer silver in the sun, the aspens are dressed in gold. All along the mountain creeks the foliage glows bright in the sun. The aspens shine in a final burst of heat before the boughs of the trees become bare and skeletal.

This is the land on the edge of winter. This the land of ragged mountains, dusty sage brush and golden aspen. All is gold in the autumn sun.