Crested Butte Snow in the Fall
/"Maybe it won't snow after all" - Ryan Wright
During the first night of a 4 night camping trip back in September, I said that as my friends and I gathered around the campfire with a surprisingly clear sky above us. The weather forecast for Crested Butte and the mountains around the town had called for snow that night but instead, it was warm and clear. Spirits were high as we discussed which hikes we were going to do in the coming days.
We woke up to light rain which increased in intensity shortly after breakfast and as I walked down from the nearby campground back to our dispersed campsite, that cold, moderate and sideways rain started turning to sleet, then graupul, and finally snowflakes. We decided to go into Crested Butte and warm up at a coffeehouse and I had a few emails that needed a response. After a few hours, we headed back up to the campsite to see the site below.
What a difference a day makes right?
We ended up putting the kibosh on all of our hikes, we were cold and the snow didn't exactly let up until after midnight that night. I believe we ended up seeing 5" of snow and some of the coldest temperatures I've ever camped in (which isn't saying much, I only have a 3 season tent). However, despite the weather putting a damper on our hikes that we had planned in the Crested Butte area instead we drove around Kebler Pass, Gothic, and Paradise Divide enjoying the beautiful landscapes. This one saying is almost always true; "bad weather makes for good photos".
Gothic Mountain shrouded in fog from the departing snowstorm. Buy a print here.
Crested Butte's Magic - Kebler Pass, CO - Prints Available
Colorful Colorado - Kebler Pass, CO - Prints Available
Majestic Mt. Crested Butte - Crested Butte, CO - Prints Available
All in all, a wonderful trip to the mountains with great friends and we created a host of new memories. We went over to Aspen the next day and caught a beautiful day there with gorgeous blue skies and a fresh layer of snow coating every mountain. It was gorgeous but because it was Aspen and I've been there a number of times, I decided not to bring my camera up to Maroon Lake. Stupid me! Missed out on that one.
