GatewayRedbirds.com

I love summer, but my summer typically begins around Labor Day for several glorious reasons:
1) Hike/backpack season begins as weather cools and bugs dissipate
2) College football season begins. My alma mater hosts Syracuse today. I'll be at Mizzou-Illinois tonight cheering on the Tigers.
3) The tourons in Chicago start to fade away
4) Gas gets cheaper
5) Beer is still widely available

Have a great summer!

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale is back on the shelves. I had several last night to celebrate this event.

Q for you HJ. I'm planning on backpacking in Colorado the last week of Sep/first week of Oct. How cold will it get at higher elevations that time of year? And do I run a significant risk of some trails already having some early snow cover?

I've never been to the Rockies this late into the fall before, except for Banff where it snowed on me, but trails were still open.

Popeye_Card wrote:Schlafly Pumpkin Ale is back on the shelves. I had several last night to celebrate this event.

Q for you HJ. I'm planning on backpacking in Colorado the last week of Sep/first week of Oct. How cold will it get at higher elevations that time of year? And do I run a significant risk of some trails already having some early snow cover?

I've never been to the Rockies this late into the fall before, except for Banff where it snowed on me, but trails were still open.

Popeye,

I doubt you'd find significant snow cover on any but the highest trails (+12,000 ft). The high country could get a dump anytime after Labor Day, but early fall tends to be fairly dry. The record daily snowfall for Leadville in September - early October is 5 inches.

Nights about 8,000 ft will likely be below freezing. The average low in Leadville on October 1 is 28 degrees, with a record low of 15 degrees. Keep in mind that Leadville is at 11,000 ft.

Things tend to get more wintry after mid-October, so a late September/early October trip is much better.

Hungary Jack wrote:I love summer, but my summer typically begins around Labor Day for several glorious reasons:
1) Hike/backpack season begins as weather cools and bugs dissipate
2) NFL football season begins.
3) The tourons in Chicago start to fade away
4) Gas gets cheaper
5) Beer is still widely available

Have a great summer!

I love the fall.

It absolutely poured last night. Monsoons are starting. Temperatures at night are dropping and although it still hits triple digits, it's not consistently 110+.

Unfortunately for me it means the snow birds are coming back so traffic will get worse.

The benefits do outweigh the positives though. ASU football, more comfortable temperatures and you can start camping closer and closer to the city.

Thanks HJ. I'm always ready/able to handle whatever weather comes along, but I will have a lady friend along on this trip, and I want to be sure she's prepared.

Popeye_Card wrote:Thanks HJ. I'm always ready/able to handle whatever weather comes along, but I will have a lady friend along on this trip, and I want to be sure she's prepared.

She might have to share your sleeping bag, I'm afraid.

Popeye_Card wrote:
Q for you HJ. I'm planning on backpacking in Colorado the last week of Sep/first week of Oct. How cold will it get at higher elevations that time of year? And do I run a significant risk of some trails already having some early snow cover?

It snowed in the high country on August 16th. The Pikes Peak Ascent on the 16th was run in snow. Ultra marathoners* in the Leadville Trail 100 encountered some flurries that weekend too. It was snowing on the mountains surrounding Leadville on the morning of the 17th.

*buncha crazy sumbucks!

I hate fall. When I wake up it's still dark out... It gets cold... Baseball is about over... Formula 1 is about over... And the school year is starting up.

I turn 21 this fall and I'm still dreading fall. Football is always what triggers this depression. I used to like football. I'd follow the Rams and Notre Dame and even played football. Now I can't stand it because of fall-winter.

cards2468 wrote:I hate fall. When I wake up it's still dark out... It gets cold... Baseball is about over... Formula 1 is about over... And the school year is starting up.

I turn 21 this fall and I'm still dreading fall. Football is always what triggers this depression. I used to like football. I'd follow the Rams and Notre Dame and even played football. Now I can't stand it because of fall-winter.

There is a solution to this. Go to the other side of the equator.