We drove up to Gold Creek to check out a couple of possible trails for a short day hike. We were thinking about hiking up to Eagle Point, but by the time we hit the end of the road, we were in a pretty good snowstorm.
After discussing our options, we decided to head back down to the Gold Creek Trail near the campground a couple of miles back where it wasn't snowing nearly as much. I'm not quite ready for full on winter mode yet. ;)
 Into the woods we went without any idea of what we might see, as I haven't done much hiking in the Sapphires yet and didn't have any info on this trail other than what we could see on our map. We simply went to explore. We hiked in a couple of miles with intentions of going further, but ended up turning around when I inadvertently hurt my leg. |  Pretty easy trail in the beginning portion. |
Cold weather mountain adventures are not complete without a campfire.
To enjoy our time out in the mountains a bit longer after cutting our hike short, we decided to head back to the campground for a campfire. It sure felt nice in the cold!
A little blustery back there. The weather was definitely better heading back to the valley.
| We enjoyed the views on our drive back out. The skies were looking rather dreary and wintry behind us from where we had just come. Ahead things were looking brighter and a bit more like fall. Add in seeing several deer along the way and you've got a typical fall day in the Bitterroot. :) |  A little buck and doe. |
 Looking ahead at Little Saint Joe. |  Looking back from the same spot. |
A mixture of sunshine, clouds, and silhouetted surroundings is always a fascinating combination.
Sheep on the east side of the valley with the Bitterroot Mountains behind, looking into Kootenai Canyon.
Things don't always turn out as we plan when we head out to the mountains.
I certainly didn't plan on getting hurt this trip and shortening our hike because of it.
But we always find a way to adapt and have a good time. :)
