Steeped in Color: Forest Bathing on Colorado’s Willow Creek Trail

A small waterfall rushes between large dark boulders on a mountain creek, with a fallen branch in the foreground, tall pines behind, and a patch of yellow and orange shrubs lit by sunlight. — *Where the Trail Paused*

Last week, I shared a single photo from our first full day in Colorado. Today, I’d like to take you a little farther along that trail. We hiked the Willow Creek Trail in the Eagles Nest Wilderness, part of the White River National Forest just outside Silverthorne. It was September 22, the day of the autumn equinox, and the forest had clearly started celebrating fall ahead of the calendar.

The trail crossed the creek several times on small footbridges. At the very first one, we had to stop. A small waterfall tumbled between the boulders while sunlight filtered through the pines and lit a patch of golden shrubs on the bank. Between the sound of the water and the play of light, there was no reason to hurry. All this beauty was right before our eyes. That is the header image.

South Willow Creek flows over sunlit, rounded boulders through a shaded conifer forest, with mossy banks, fallen logs, and yellowing ferns along its edges. — *Enchanted Waters*

At another crossing, we reached a stretch of South Willow Creek that became my favorite of the day. Sunlight came through the pines in soft, dappled beams, gilding the boulders and scattering tiny sparkles across the rushing water. Mossy banks, fallen logs, and the first golden leaves of fall framed the stream like a storybook page. I confess that if a gnome had peeked out from behind one of those rocks, I wouldn’t have been surprised at all.

A dirt hiking trail curves through a forest of aspens in vivid red, orange, and yellow, mixed with young green pines and fallen logs. — *Fire Along the Path*

Somewhere along the way, I realized the day had turned into an exercise in forest bathing. The Japanese call it shinrin-yoku, a term Japan’s Forestry Agency coined in 1982. It simply means immersing yourself in the forest atmosphere: slowing down and taking it in with all your senses, with no destination required. The forest was doing its part. Aspens blazed in yellow, orange, and even red, set against the deep greens of the pines and firs.

A steep hillside covered in aspens in gold, orange, and lime green, punctuated by dark green conifers, under a partly cloudy blue sky. — *Gold Among the Spires*

Farther along, the trail wound through groves of aspens at their peak, with entire hillsides glowing gold and orange, punctuated by the dark green spires of evergreens. With every breeze, the leaves shimmered, and the forest seemed to breathe with us.

A landscape like this deserves protection, and it has had it for a while. The Eagles Nest Wilderness was designated on July 12, 1976, so our visit fell in its 50th-anniversary year. Its nearly 134,000 acres (about 54,000 hectares) protect the rugged Gore Range, a place often described as “more vertical than horizontal,” with jagged peaks, deep valleys, alpine lakes, and dense forests. Heavy snow on its heights feeds the Colorado River, and about 180 miles (290 km) of trails lead into it, with trailheads near Silverthorne, Frisco, and Vail.

Forest bathing turned out to be the perfect way for us to reconnect with Colorado and its fall colors. One step at a time, we let the rushing water and the glowing aspens set our pace.

That is the story behind the shots. For more like this, enjoy these related stories: Colorado, Eagles Nest Wilderness, Fall Foliage, Landscapes, One Step, Silverthorne, South Willow Creek, White River NF, Willow Creek Trail. Until the next shoot, keep chasing the light and the wonders it reveals.

Posted for Pepper’s One Step at a Time #29.

Sources

Wilderness Connect — Eagles Nest Wilderness — https://wilderness.net/visit-wilderness/?ID=168
Summit Daily — Eagles Nest Wilderness celebrates 50 years — https://www.summitdaily.com/news/eagles-nest-wilderness-celebrates-fifty-years-of-designation/
Nippon.com — Miyazaki Yoshifumi Explores the Healing Power of the Forest — https://www.nippon.com/en/people/e00140/miyazaki-yoshifumi-explores-the-healing-power-of-the-forest.html
Farmers’ Almanac — Fall Equinox: First Day of Fall — https://www.farmersalmanac.com/fall-equinox-first-day-of-fall