Fossil Creek in October

Denise and I decided to try Fossil Creek in October again. Last year was pleasant during the same time of the month to enjoy Fossil Creek. However, just the week before, we experienced winter-like weather and would not have been a good time to swim at Fossil Creek. For this trip, the weather was warm, a little hot in the sun, yet perfect conditions for cooling off in the fresh, clear waters. Fall colors were beginning and created vibrant reflections in the water. We hiked down mid-morning from the trailhead, 4 miles to the springs, and a little further to find a place to hang out for lunch. We swam, rested, hiked some more, swam at the waterfall, sampled a rope swing, photographed, and headed back up by 5:00 to enjoy the cooler evening temps while hiking back up. A tiring trip and well worth it. I must gripe about seeing trash and abandoned hiking gear. We hauled up extra trash when we could, but the hiking gear would be most difficult with our small packs. I am anxious to see how the authorities choose to manage this area. I am for a permit system. A limited number of permits would be issued any given day to limit use and the money would finance maintenence and pay a Ranger to patrol the trail and camp areas. I dislike seeing trash at Fossil. I didn't photopraph trash, so here my my favs from the trip: