After three days in a conference in beautiful Crested Butte, I went for a twenty-one mile,  overnight backpack in the Raggeds Wilderness Area starting on Saturday, October 4. I began by hiking up the the steep-sided Dark Canyon.  The trail was very muddy in places, but after a few miles I climbed the Devils Stars, a series of switch backs, up onto the higher country above.  Above the canyon, I hiked a loop going out on the Dark Canyon Trail and climbing back on the Silver Basin Trail. I found a camping spot by a tiny stream a little bit down an unmapped side trail with young deer grazing in the front yard.  After supper, I hiked a bit further on the trail to an open basin to enjoy the scenery and changing light.  All along the loop, there were long views over the enormous aspen stands to the snow-covered peaks.