Karen Gray
October 20 was a bright, clear day when five women set off for Mt. Lemmon hoping to see some fall color. We hiked up the Aspen Loop Trail starting at 7420 feet with an accumulated gain of over 1000 feet. It is a good workout at that elevation but the delicious smell of pines and beautiful overlooks kept us going. We saw some nice color on that part of the trail. When we were a little above Marshall Saddle we stopped for a snack. We headed down the Marshall Gulch Trail, which is all downhill from the saddle. Then the really good color started to appear. This side of the loop trail follows a creek and everything nearby looked a little healthier and the colors were wonderful. If you are from the East and some other parts of the country – the colors are different. The maples were pinky red and the golden aspens did not disappoint. We took our time to take some photos and enjoy the color. When we reached the bottom we headed back to Summerhaven to the Saw Mill Restaurant and had a delicious lunch and chatted about how lovely it is up in the mountains on a clear, crisp day.