Fall in Colorful Colorado is like a treasure hunt. Where can you spot the most gold?

There are plentiful opportunities across the state, but I was looking for a choice closer to home and stumbled upon Abyss Trail – a local favorite. Upon arriving at the trailhead, I began to understand why so many add this fall hike to their list. 

The trail winds up from a substantial parking lot into the forest. The incline was manageable and I found it to be the most challenging section of the trail we hiked.*

*Note that we only completed about 3.5 miles and went back, but if you plan to hike up to Abyss Lake be prepared for a much longer and strenuous trail with generous incline.

Eventually you cross an itty bitty stream and notice the ground beneath your feet start to soften and even out. After enjoying a somewhat easy path, the rush of a larger creek (Scott Gomer Creek) with pebbles and a footbridge greets you. Getting ready for jaw dropping awesome… 

Take in the wall of fiery marigold, persimmon, and vermillion that stretches across the valley mountainside. You will be starstruck by nature’s magnificent paintbrush. After properly absorbing this view, we continued on – descending around the bend into the cornucopia of color. 

It is HARD to keep your eyes in front of you, I wanted to keep my head on a 360 degree swivel. Regardless, the trail does begin to get rocky again and the incline picks up a bit so don’t forget to watch out for tripping hazards. 

Pauses are important when adventuring, nature has a special way of healing us and I like to make sure I always get a hefty dose of her medicine while there. Today it was glittering amber aspens warmed by the sunshine that fluttered in the wind. 

After venturing about a mile northeast you will hit the rushing creek again. I noticed a clearing here with a boulder that would make the perfect impromptu afternoon studio. I carefully made my way down to the water and unzipped my backpack, this could not have been a more perfect spot for creativity. 

Enveloped by the wash of color my senses felt on fire, inspiration was everywhere. I balanced my tupperware of water in a crevice and pulled out some shades that matched the mood. My canvas was one that has lived many lives before. I took a wash of burgundy over the entire board and squeezed amber and tangerine onto my palette. My palette knife was ready and the creativity was flowing. 

Dipping my knife into the warm bright shades, I lined it to the brim. The leaves around me were brought to life with generous amounts of textured brief swatches across the piece.

Once the canopy was complete, I incorporated a technique that another artist passed along to create aspen trunks. It was my first time trying it, and I had a blast exploring the process.

Aspen Trunk Tutorial

1. Line your palette knife with whatever color you want the trunk to be, in this case it was white. 

2. Take the edge of your knife and dab it onto the canvas, creating a line. You can be funky with this, the line doesn’t need to be straight – it can curve and sit at an angle.  

3. Once the outline of your trunk is done, take the clean edge of you knife and pull paint from your border inward, this will create a realistic bark effect. Then repeat the same steps for the other border of your trunk.

After adding a few more aspens, an unexpected guest arrived upstream. A mother moose with her calf. While beautiful, this was a good point to pause the painting and head back – moose with offspring can be somewhat temperamental and taking caution is wise. I stuffed my supplies back in my bag and took in one last magical vista before descending back down to the car. 

It’s not always easy to decide when your paintings are complete. I knew this piece still required some final touches so I brought it with for another adventure to Estes Park, finishing the last misfit aspen from the open trunk of my Forester. 

Here’s the finished piece “Zest”