Warm weather in both the foothills and the high country mean one thing – Mud Season!
In Colorado, the winter weather gives way to spring. The snow melts out. The ground becomes muddy. Trails become closed. Even in the high country, the snow can be gloppy.
It is mud season.
Even if it should snow again, winter is on its way out. Pasque flowers will be blooming in the foothills and the mountains will slowly began to lose their cover of snow.
What this means is there is a short period of time for some easy and relaxing jaunts, a chance to sort out and repair gear and to get ready for the next seasons.
On Saturday morning, someone and I took a rare hike together. She is in between classes and wanted something relaxing to do.
After a leisurely breakfast at a favorite local place, we attempted to find a trail to hike. Two trail closures in a row lead us to the Sage Trail in north Boulder. A mellow, wide trail with nice views and majestic and old cottonwoods lining the way.
Right from the start, the trail was indeed muddy. Squish, squish, squish. Glop, glop, glop.
There were plenty of the old cottonwoods that I love so much along this trail.
One of our planned trails was closed, so we ended up doing a little shorter loop than anticipated.
Which worked out well, because there was exquisite views from a pond towards the snow (slush???) covered foothills.
We soon turned back towards the vehicle. Our path was both muddy and went by a working ranch in the area.
A nice little jaunt with some pleasant scenery.
On the way back, we passed the new Dunkin’ Donuts in Boulder. My East Coast roots showed as I could not pass the coffee.:) Luckily, it was free! 
We arrived home and dried out our boots in the warm sun.
Yes, boots. 🙂 For mud season, slush and trail work, boots work rather well for day use activities. My trail runners would be a wet, squishy mess.
As mentioned, this type of weather afforded a good opportunity to get things done for the upcoming seasons.
- Gear was sorted and tested
- Some minor repairs done
- Excess clothing given to the thrift store
- Much gear and supplies pre-packed for an upcoming five-day trip
- I even swapped out a fog light that I have been neglecting on our vehicle
Winter is not gone yet, but there are signs it will be gone soon. A muddy, sloppy day is one of them.