Signs You Might Be: On a Mountain

I guess I never realize the variety of road signs and other important informational stuff that one sees along the highways and bi-ways in the mountains and how different it is from what you find along the beach. I mean, it stands to reason, but I found it striking on summer vacay which included a lot of miles back to Colorado and the mountains. I found it interesting. I hope you will too.

A mountain is a big place and when one is riding up the lift or gondola and sliding on the snow, or hiking on a gravel trail, signage is important. Most of the rustic wooden signs are painted and have applied letters, like the one above. It's telling us that Avanti is Expert and Cold Feet is Easy. It sits on the mountain year round. But below, you'll find a corrugated plastic one that just has to make it through a summer or two.

It's hard to imagine that the following pic rests at the top of an expert run. The hill is dotted with tufts of green grass and colorful wild flowers. But when you stand at the top of it looking down in the winter, admiring the bright white slippery snow...it's a bit easier to comprehend.
 
The mountains though massive and courageous, have challenges. Pine beetles, a tiny invader, have become a huge problem for the Colorado mountain forests over the last 5-10 years. The tree below is marked with blue paint to designate it has been invaded. You can also see sap running down the left side and on the upper right, indicating the tree is not well.

It is devastating to see the hillside covered with dead trees as in this image.

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And as we've all seen on the news for many summers, forest fires can decimate the land in a heartbeat. Well, imagine a lightening strike in the above picture...it doesn't take much of a spark.Next time I'll share some of the great beauty held in the mountains...

So, what do you choose? Winter skiing or boarding OR summer hiking or biking? Or I guess, you could choose them all.

Cheers, Eli