Ridge walking in the Highwoods

Snow always makes things look better

Log across stream, or bridge?

It's greener than green and the wildflowers are out in profusion in the Highwood Mountains.
We took a hike there Saturday mostly off trail and along the many ridges that separate the North Fork of Highwood Creek, Briggs Creek and Thane Creek.
It was crystal clear with great visibility in all directions.
The water was running high from the snow melt off the high peaks like Arrow and Baldy, both of which could have been skied.

One of the three elk we saw on our Highwoods ridge stroll

The surprise of the day was bumping into three elk grazing in a saddle between ridgelines.
The aspen groves were among the most gorgeous of sights, a chartreuse color as they blanketed the un-trailed gulches.

In nearly every gulch we saw the newly leafed aspen.

We also climbed the highest little unnamed peak on the ridgeline at 6,201, nearly 2,000 feet from our starting point on the North Fork of Highwood Creek trailhead.

Our ridge walking route in the Highwoods.