Nina Riggio, Special to the Denver PostRafael Gutierras carries his harvesting ladder to the first orchard of the day in Palisade on Aug. 29, 2019. That particular piece of land has been a peach orchard for more than 100 years.
Nina Riggio, Special to the Denver PostEmmanuel Flores Miranda steadys his three legged ladder during the final peach harvest of the season in Palisade on Aug. 29, 2019. The three legged ladders are sturdier and easier to pick up and move.
Nina Riggio, Special to the Denver PostScott High, owner and operator of High Country Orchards in Palisade, walks through the peach orchard checking out the remaining crop on Aug. 29, 2019.
Nina Riggio, Special to the Denver PostCandido Arias, 53, begins picking peaches at 7 a.m. on Aug. 29, 2019. Arias has been picking peaches in Palisade Colorado for many years and he teaches the younger harvesters how to pick faster and more efficiently.
Nina Riggio, Special to the Denver PostJuan Carlos Mendez Ruiz steps up on a harvesting ladder at High Country Orchards in Palisade on Aug. 29, 2019.
Nina Riggio, Special to the Denver PostJuan Carlos Mendez Ruiz gets into the middle of the peach tree to find the last peaches of the season in Palisade, on Aug. 29, 2019. Out of the 188 acres at High Country Orchards there are still three more varieties to pick even though its end of season.
Nina Riggio, Special to the Denver PostJuan Carlos Dorantes Monzalvo, nicknamed Pollo, reaches for a peach at High Country Orchards in Palisade on Aug. 29, 2019. Workers can pick through a whole peach tree in an average of four minutes.
Nina Riggio, Special to the Denver PostJuan Carlos Dorantes Monzalvo, reaches high for a peach at High Country Orchards in Palisade on Aug. 29, 2019. Once the peaches are harvested it takes an average of six to seven minutes to pack them.
Nina Riggio, Special to the Denver PostA peach pile waits to be boxed and wrapped in Palisade on Aug. 29, 2019. These peaches will be ripe and ready to eat in about two days from the harvest date.
Nina Riggio, Special to the Denver PostSalvador Bautista Medina steadies his crate high on a ladder as he reaches for the last of the Glowing Star peach variety of the season in Palisade on Aug. 29, 2019.
Nina Riggio, Special to the Denver PostHugo Argenis Acosta Reyna loads up the peach tractor with the white crates they clip around their necks as they harvest in Palisade on Aug. 29, 2019. Each crate weighs around 25 pounds each when filled with peaches.
Nina Riggio, Special to the Denver Post
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Rafael Gutierras carries his harvesting ladder to the first orchard of the day in Palisade on Aug. 29, 2019. That particular piece of land has been a peach orchard for more than 100 years.
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By Special to The Denver Post | Special to The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
Getting your player ready...
Peach harvest is in full swing on Colorado’s Western Slope. High Country Orchards owner Scott High said their harvest was almost finished for the season, though they had some picking left to do. His employees were out early Thursday, August 29, 2019, to continue bringing in their peaches.