Our last few Front Range hikes have held the promise of gloriously golden aspens "next weekend." Because the aspen groves are bigger and more spectacular west of the Divide, we drove to the trailhead at near the Cataract Creek Campground above Green Mountain Reservoir. We remembered aspens from previous summer hikes and had our fingers crossed. Well, between the last weekend in September and the first in October several inches of snow fell in the high country, and while the trail was mostly clear, the branches were mostly cleared of leaves too. Last weekend turned out to be a tad too early and this past weekend was definitely too late for spectacular Colorado fall color of yellow.
Still, that was a minor, if nagging, complaint on a beautiful fall day with comfortable temperatures and no wind. From the fee station and wilderness trail register, the Surprise Lake Trail drops down a short way and crosses Cascade Creek. While mountain bikes are prohibited, horses are permitted on this trail, so the bridge has to be sturdy enough to support their weight.
Cascade Creek, which in spring and early summer can be a rough torrent is, in fall, is a gentle watercourse that floqa into the Blue River Valley, Green Mountain Reservoir and eventually the Colorado River.
We entered the Eagles Nest Wilderness a short way into the hike.
The steepest part of the trail comes at the beginning as it passes through open meadows and stands of aspen. Some tenacious brown leaves hung off a few trees, but basically, the leaves were underfoot.
Farther along, conifers line the route, and we encountered some lingering snow at the edge of the trail...
...and among the rocks.
A couple of miles from the trailhead, the Surprise Lake Trail comes to a T when it meets the Gore Range Trail. We turned right and continued up to Surprise Lake.
Snow was already beginning to pack onto the north-facing terrain on the higher peaks, but lily pads still floated on unfrozen surface of Surprise Lake.
A gray jay, more commonly known as a camp robber, came around looking for handouts when we stopped for a bite to eat. 
We turned back and retraced our steps to the trailhead. If we had wanted a longer hike, we could have continued up the Gore Range Trail and made a loop to return to the trailhead. As it was, we hiked about six miles with an elevation gain of roughly 2,000 feet -- depending on whose electronic tracking device we consulted.
It rained most of today at Boulder's 5,400-foot elevation, which probably meant snow on the trail we just hiked. Golden aspens or not, we're happy to have done so.
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