The sun was breaking through ...

... but not for long.

At the top of the mountain, at 7700 feet, we plopped down on the picnic tables to partake of our lunches, and then we climbed up to take in the spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and valleys from the fire tower. It was windy and cool, but the sun still came out occasionally, as we started off on the other side of the loop.

Spectacular fall foliage!

We descended through towering ponderosa pine trees and past a massive alligator juniper tree. We tread upon fallen leaves and trudged past fallen trees and a mossy area, where a hint of a stream moistened the rocks. Suddenly, we were hit with a blast of icy air as the wind picked up, and a huge, gray cloud was overhead, while thunder boomed. We were again pummeled by small hailstones, until there was a sudden transition to a downpour of lovely, soft snowflakes. This lasted the rest of the hike and was quite soothing and peaceful, except for when we were unnerved by a lightning flash directly above us. We made it out safely, and Sam’s sandaled feet survived. Upon our return, we discovered that it was 34 degrees! We then proceeded to Young’s Farm, where we warmed our insides with food and drink. It was a wonderful day with great company.