Summer is glorious in the high country, glorious but short. The first of September is here and, as expected, it begins to feel like summer is on its way out the door.
At our 6300 ft. elevation the only two months of summer we can absolutely count on are July and August. June and September are pleasant enough, but a light jacket is sometimes indicated, and a light snowfall that doesn't stick isn't uncommon.
When we arrived in early May, there were no leaves on the aspens. As I look out my office window into the forest this afternoon, some parts of the understory have just started to turn gold. The aspens are still green but the leaves look a bit tired.
No longer overhead, the sun now slants in from the south, and the sunlight begins to look different, autumnal. School is back in session, and people are laying in firewood. We'll be here till mid October, and will drive out through shoals of pure, pale yellow aspen leaves.
