An Aspen Birthday Adventure [ Part II ]

Continued!

After the weather cleared up ( and the birthday girls enjoyed some celebratory ice cream ) we headed to some of the most photographed peaks in all of North America. The Bells are some of Colorado’s “14ers” … mountains 14,000 feet and higher. Maroon Peak, at 14,156 feet, is the 27th highest peak in Colorado; North Maroon Peak, at 14,014 feet, is the 50th highest. The Bells are so popular to photograph because they are quite easy to get to. Carol is a naturalist and leads nature walks at the Bells, so we had a wonderful time playing “tourist” and taking wayyyyy too many pictures.

^ ^ Carol teaching us about the flora and fauna ^ ^

^ ^ These are asters ^ ^

This is fireweed, and it is AWESOME. Its roots grow in such a way that they survive most habitat disruption and are therefore some of the first organisms to come back. They are an extremely important part of the ecosystem in Colorado because of all the wildfires. As its name suggests, it can survive the ecosystem devastation that normally follows a fire, and then helps to reestablish vegetation and homeostasis in the environment.

Fireweed is also special because it blooms from the bottom up. For some reason, pollinators like bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies like to start from the bottom of a plant and move upwards. Somewhere back along the evolution trail this plant figured that out and responded accordingly! Seriously. W H O A nature.

^ ^ My birthday ladies in a gorgeous wildflower field. ^ ^

^ ^ Nicole surrounded by lovely July wildflowers ^ ^

^ ^ Carol teaching us about pocket gophers! ^ ^

^ ^ Crazy geology ^ ^

^ ^ Nicole SO PUMPED to be at the Bells ^ ^ 

^ ^ Lovely reflection ^ ^

^ ^ Carol’s high knees for neature! ^ ^

^ ^ Can you believe this background? But really. ^ ^

^ ^ Damn. ^ ^