The green, yellow and orange trees make the landscape look almost unreal against the backdrop of the blue Colorado sky.

Time for one last picture with the bright, yellow aspens in the background. Then back down into the crowds to catch the second-to-last bus leaving the park before it empties out at 5pm. I managed to get in 4.5 hours of hiking and some good elevation on the higher sections of trail here -- despite the short day. Trails here are minimally documented, but I estimate I walked about 7+ miles, round-trip.

< Fitbit on hike: 24000 steps, 133 floors | Full day total: 31000 steps, 134 floors >
[as calibrated here, 1 floor = about 12 feet elevation gain, 2700 steps = about 1 mile]

Sept 23: The next day is cold, with rain & snow all day (no pictures). I spend the day walking town and enjoying the many art galleries, shops and restaurants. The food in Aspen is excellent, and there is plenty of shopping.

< Fitbit: | Full day total: 19000 steps, 12 floors >