After much curiosity and anticipation over the past months, we headed out in mid October for the Maroon Bells and Snowmass Wilderness areas in Colorado. Thanks to the fine book WILD AT HEART by Janis Lindsey Huggins, our appetite to sample the views and hiking in these locations was keen. What an excellent experience we enjoyed!! Our evenings were spent in Leadville, a fun historic town above 10,000 feet in elevation. Good food, colorful history all about, and pretty victorian homes couldn't hold us back long. We headed first to the Maroon Bells, just outside of Aspen Colorado, doing a 5 mile hike on Saturday. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. It is entirely true of this gorgeous setting. On Sunday we traveled the short distance to Snowmass Village, finding 4 miles of hiking on the East Snowmass Trail just as satisfying!! Our anticipation marches on. The area's renowned wildflower season of 2009 is a tantalizing beacon that already exerts it's draw on us. And indeed, on the Snowmass trail, we saw in scattered areas along the trail the remains of Spotted Coralroot, a beautiful species of orchid. We can't WAIT to get back to this fantastic place!!!