Seasons of The San Juans are a glorious four—Waterfall—Thundershower—Color—Fireside.  Waterfall Season is spawned in late snows of March as the traversing sun swings up from the south sending subtly suggestive streamlets of snowmelt giggling into the still frozen shadows. Ushering in sparkling cascades through warm April days its triumph is thundering waterfalls beyond Memorial Day. Thundershower Season rides nicely in on this tide wit  showers of rain to sustain the Cascades to September. The season’s trademarks are towering thunderheads billowing in full bloom in later June and July. Thunder goes rumbling down from crest to canyon like billions of barrels down a stairway to hell —While lightning grazes granite craigs and stabs into the shadows. The Stalwart San Juans stand undaunted —patient—And in the freshly washed rays of a new day’s sun spread marvelous carpets of Columbines across the meadows. The brilliance of the new born sun belies the nature of the day but the thunderheads poking into the blue above the peaks by noon predict another spectacular performance—“Thundershowers.”

The change comes subtly sometime in early  August—A bit of crispness in the air—A solitary yellow leaf—Some thundershowers now seem   somewhat subdued. Late in August gold starts showing on the rabbit bush. Color season is upon The San Juans.

Slipping into September the highest aspen open the show with every shade from green to gold aglow in sunlight from a sky of such faultless blue that knows no other home.

Just when the splendor seems unsurpassable the scruboaks come flaring up with reds incredible and flurries dust the heights with caps of white. The spectacle peaks in the high country’s mid-September then slips slowly away to the Southern Canyons October where golden
cottonwoods and tamarisks are waiting. In the longer nights and shadows of November the San Juans welcome blankets of white again. When seen through golden cottonwoods far below with setting sunlight against a darkened sky a ColorSeason curtain call is occurring.

The Fireside Season sweeps in with December snow giving cause to draw up closely to the fireside with those books toted years down all those roads. San Juan snows are made for fireside reading. But many suns of this season rise into blue skies above fresh sparkling blankets of white and the urge to explore this crystal world will win. The lure of these mountains in their least friendly season is legendary.— Extraordinary experiences are  addictive.

A friend of mine sets by a different San Juan fire
—A fire in the guts of a fearless Iron Horse who steams up the snow covered track to Cascade Canyon trailing a train outfitted with such as hot buttered rum
—The essence of Fireside Season in full stride
—I think I’ll take a ride.