Yellow Aster Butte

Fantastic fall colours, a bit of snow to contend with, but all in all still a great late season hike.
We made a late start from the trailhead - around 1:30pm. Trail climbs briefly through alternating old growth forest and open rocky sections, to the junction with the T.... Lake trail. Heading left, the trail traverses the valley the drops into a basin - some snow here, but nothing to write home about. Trail the opens up with great views of Baker. Blueberries are still present and surprisingly tasty for this time of year.
Yellow Aster Butte is actually the second of the peaks - after the Y juntion, head right up a steeper area. The first "peak" you reach is not yellow aster - although on this day it was enough for us. There is some snow between here and the actual peak, with some steeper dropoffs that are NOT recommended for those with a fear of heights (me). So we settled for almost-to-the-butte on this hike

All in all, a spectacular display of fall colours - get there before the snow sets in - if there is still time!!