Mtn Muhly Trail - An Aura of Forbidding Mystery
Mtn Muhly Trail |
Starting in a quiet corner of Alderfer Park, Mtn Muhly Trail descends into a steep gulch gouged by a little stream called Coneflower Creek. A grove of aspen sparkles in the late light as its long shadows tumble over the embankment and disappear into a ribbon of black water.
During winter, the cup-shaped valley is a barren landscape steeped in an aura of forbidding mystery. The confusion of branches and brush makes for a messy scene but there is a certain charm to be found in nature’s tangle of wild forms.
The slim ravine stretches easily through a dense forest of fir and spruce where only the tips of the tallest trees are lit by the golden ambiance of a setting sun. Climbing up and out of the chasm isn’t too much of a problem as the path empties into a rugged stand of lodgepole pine.
Weaving its way through a maze of old growth, a rocky route traverses the steep western slopes set below the Three Sister Peaks. Just as it begins to get dark, the ominous woodland gives way to a wide open meadow and a pink sky floods into the field of vision.
Once the dark curtain of a winter’s long night finally falls, the mountains get incredibly cold. There’s nothing left to be done outside except wait patiently for the dawning of a new day and hope that it will be warmer than the last one.
Starting in a quiet corner of the park |
A steep gulch |
Forbidding mystery |
Confusion of branches and brush |
A slim ravine |
A golden ambiance |
Coneflower creek |
A setting sun |
Slope below the Three Sisters |
A wide open meadow |
Winter's long night |
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