Aspen

I had the opportunity this week to attend a Forum for Higher Education Leaders, hosted by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (AAA&S), in Aspen, Colorado.  I had never been to Aspen before… but the opportunity to spend a week in the Rocky Mountains, during wildflower season, was too much for a hiker/photographer like me to pass up.

The Forum was held at the Aspen Institute, a fabled center of scholarly thought and innovation for decades. It is located on a beautiful spit of land on the outskirts of town, above the confluence of Castle Creek and the Roaring Fork River.  During the workshop I had a few occasions to stroll the grounds and the extensive network of paths and trails maintained by the town.  After the workshop, I stayed three more nights to explore more extensively.

Fun facts:  Aspen was a mining boom town in the 1800s, at one point producing a fifth of the world’s silver.  Indeed, one find was a single piece of silver weighing 1,840 pounds (865kg)!  Aspen then fell into disrepair, perhaps a ghost town.  In 1949, businessman Walter Paepcke had a vision to turn it into a cultural and recreational center, and hired a brilliant architect Herbert Bayer to design the Aspen Institute [more].  Skiing put Aspen on the map, and it now attracts visitors year-round to enjoy outdoor recreation, cultural festivals, and academic conferences. 

Check out this brief gallery of photos from Aspen and the Aspen Institute, and of the many wildflowers and wildlife I encountered during my visit.   I’ll post separately about the grueling hike from downtown Aspen to the summit of Aspen Mountain, and an incredibly beautiful day exploring the valley of the Maroon Bells.  Incredible scenery!