I love this time of year...

I'm quite certain that this time of year is my favorite and there are a few reasons. First the weather is changing-the 95 degree days are in the past and we are getting those nice crisp nights back. In fact it's only about 55 degrees right now as I write this. Football season started this weekend and the Broncos (who will be 13-3 this year) play their first game tonight. I love football and the NFL season. I also took the plunge this year and joined my first (and second) fantasy football leagues. I got killed in both of them this week but I think I'll get better.

I also love this time of year because that means hunting season has started. I first went hunting with my dad when I was 5 years old and I've gone hunting every year since then. I love getting out into the mountains and spending some quiet time reflecting on the last year of my life and where the next year will take me. I love spending time with my dad and learning about everything from family to business from him. I love working up a sweat hiking up out of a canyon and I love laying in my sleeping bag at night listening to elk bugling only hundreds of yards away. And nothing matches the adrenaline rush of a 1,000 pound bull elk standing 8 feet away from me and bugling in my face.

Those of you who know me know how important hunting is to me. For those of you who don't know me as well I want to share this aspect of my life because it is so important. My dad and I spent 6 nights in the wilderness this last week so I wanted to share some of the pictures with you. I will continue sharing stories with you about my hunting trips over the next few months so that hopefully you can get a better understanding of how important it is to me.

In the meantime here are a few of the pictures from the week...

This was our view the first day and night...fog and rain.


This was our view the next 6 days...sunshine and blue skies.


Not one of the aspen trees have changed yet. I'll be going back in a week and hopefully they will start changing then.


This was the sunset we saw all but one of the nights we were there.


This is my dad as we were high up on a lookout point.




We spotted this black bear walking down the trail and tried to catch up to him for a picture (sorry Jess.) We were standing and waiting and thought he must have gone a different way when all of a sudden he came running out from behind a rock only 20 feet away from us. Very exciting.


The aspen trees in the area were so cool. Do you like the color or the black and white better?



For anyone who has been to the Colorado mountains lately you've certainly noticed all the dead and dying trees. There has been a huge epidemic of pine beetle in the mountains and it is quickly and drastically changing the landscape of the mountains.


This is my dad as we hiked out yesterday morning.



And of course this is the two of us after we hiked 5 miles back to the trailhead. At this point we were only about 2-3 hours from lunch at Wendy's which tasted pretty good.