Where's the Peak?

Thought everyone would like to read the following article about the fall conditions this year at the following link:

http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20060922/NEWS/109220045

Yikes!

When I follow the link, it says I have to register to read the article. Any chance of a short summary or cut and paste?

Thanks for the link. Hate to be the humbug and I know someone else requested it, but some newspapers REALLY don't like it when you reproduce an entire article w/out permission. You can provide short quotes from the article, but the article as a whole is copyright protected.

When I follow the link, it says I have to register to read the article. Any chance of a short summary and/or a representative cut and paste using a few significant quotes? (Sorry if my question lead to some inappropriate action). I typically don't register for these sorts of things in order to avoid junk email and to maintain my privacy.

Strange. I didn't have to register when I followed that link. And I'm sure that's not a site where I've registered previously.

You don't need to register to read the article. Copy and paste the link text into your browser. You might also try clearing the cookings/cache in your web browser or tying a different browser.

Roger, I usually just feed those forms completely bogus info just to get in. That's what I did this morning to read it.

Craig

A basic summary is that the fall colors around Aspen won't be as good as most years because of the cold weather. A lot of the leaves are turning from green to brown.

This article paints a pretty bleak picture of things.

The key is to find the nicer areas/patches of aspens left even after all the cold weather, wind, snow, etc... we have had lately. I think there will still be nice areas. Especially where the trees where not ready to turn before all the recent weather hit.

All the reports we have been getting from fellow forum members really help as well.

- Derek

You can read the article yourself without violating any problems.

http://www.aspentimes.com

Just click on the article entitled: Leaf Peak

Art Lund

Thanks for the help with the article. I finally got to read it. I have next week as precious vacation and was interested in the finer details as I'm adjusting my destinations a little. Sort discouraging, but I'm sure there are plenty of places with nice color. Should be fun exploring. Hope all of you who will be out in the next several days have safe travel and good light.

I'm in Aspen tonight and it snowed for several hours into the evening with some accumulation on the grass and trees around the town. Should be interesting tomorrow and spectacular when this thing clears. On the drive from Steamboat I saw many stands of aspens that looked very healthy and turning color as usual, so once again I maintain that while there may be some less than perfect stands of trees in some places this year (as the article postulates) there's still going to be some great color out there. And with all this snow, there should be an opportunity for some really different and awesome pictures..

Rod, please keep us updated. I may head up there tomorrow night or Sunday AM if things at the Maroon Bells/Aspen area are still worth checking out. Let us know if the aspen around the lake are completely bare now or not and how the rest of the valley faired during the storm. Digital pics would be an added bonus, but I'm not going to push my luck.

Best of luck, Craig

I'm still planning to head to the San Juans next weekend, the 30th and 1st. I've seen lots of reports from Aspen and Kebler pass areas, but nobody in SW Colo. Anyone down there?

I've taken the attitude that there are still some good trees out there. If I'm wrong, let me know before I travel all the way from North Carolina! :) Thanks!

I was at the Bells this morning along with several RMNP members, including Brent, Darren, Rick, Tony, and Dave. Here's a picture of the faithful gathered. There was about 4-5" of snow, the Bells were mostly visible but really flat light. Notice that the trees mostly still have all their leaves. I was also at the Capital Peak trailhead late today and the trees there are a mix of green and gold and it doesn't appear that the snow has affected them at all. Bottom line, I think the next few days are going to be so awesome---lots of color and white mountain tops everywhere. I'm not among those who are disappointed with what I see out there. The same group that was out there today will be gathering at the Bells again in the morning, and I suspect, with a host of others.

Thanks a million Rod. See you guys in the am. Looks like clear to partly clouded is in the forecast for tomorrow morning, so the light should be better than this.

Craig

Rod I am so jealous, I plan to be at the bells Wednesday morning if anybody is interested.

Thanks for posting this Rod! Yes - the Bells were BEAUTIFUL all dressed up in white. Saturday was absolutely killer, and there were very few photographers at the lake. Sunday, well... just this same crowd...and 50 or 60 others...

Michael - there's still plenty left to shoot, and the snow more than makes up for any sub-stellar showing by the aspen. I'd say it's just as beautiful as any other year (moreso, imo); just a little different.

Just for clarification, the article said that it was the cold PLUS the wet weather early in Sept that really made the color such a disappointment this year. The cold itself is not a problem...that happens every year.

Too bad we couldn't get that rain back in July for flowers, eh?