[+] Sunset behind Potosi Peak, 13,786 ft., as seen from the Hayden Trail above Ouray, Colorado. Although it’s only the fourth tallest peak in the Sneffels Range, Potosi dominates the southern side of the range, soaring 5,000 vertical feet above Canyon Creek and Camp Bird Road. It’s a forbidding seldom-climbed peak, surrounded by sheer cliffs and rugged canyons. Read more about Potosi Peak on SummitPost.org.
On Saturday I camped up in Blaine Basin, with Mt. Sneffels towering above. That evening, I hiked up to the summit of Peak 12,910, which has an incredible vantage point directly facing the rugged north face of Sneffels. I’ve hiked to many different vantages around Mt. Sneffels, and I think this one is the best!
What an amazing hike this morning! After catching a few ZZZs, I woke up and got out of bed at 1am, hiked up Mt. Sneffels under a brilliant full moon, and topped out on the 14,156′ summit at 4:15am. The air was really calm and not that cold, and I had plenty of time to relax on the summit before the dawn light, enjoying the massive vista of moonlit peaks. Once the sun started rising, the photography was fast and furious, and I got some good large format shots with the 4×5. Now I’m off to Boulder for my friends Santos and Jill’s wedding.
On perhaps an impulsive whim, I just booked plane tickets to Santiago, Chile! Woohoo! I’ll be headed there from October 15 to December 1. A full six weeks!
I have two plans for the trip. I may do one, or the other, or both.
First idea: Head south from Santiago to the Lake District. This area is lush and green, with big lakes and beautiful cone-shaped volcanoes. I’ve travelled through here once before back in 2002; my friend Mikel and I stayed briefly in the adventure town of Pucón, where we snowboarded at the little ski resort on the slopes of Villarrica Volcano. Here’s some great photos of the Lake District by Gerhard Hüdepohl.
Second idea: Head north from Santiago to the Atacama desert. There are even more enormous volcanoes there, including Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano on Earth at 22,615 feet. The alien landscapes of the Atacama look like a photographer’s dream. Again, check out Gerhard Hüdepohl’s amazing Atacama photos to see what I mean.
UPDATE: Now I’m not going to Chile… I’ll be going to New Zealand instead! Read about my change of plans here.
Sunset light in the pines near the Portland Trail overlook above Ouray, Colorado.
Just got back from a three day rafting and fly fishing trip through the Gunnison Gorge, a 14 mile stretch of the Gunnison River downstream of the famous Black Canyon in Colorado. Due to this winter’s record snowfalls, the river was flowing at more than double the normal flow, and the normally emerald green water was a murky brown color full of silt. Also, we were too early for the famous stonefly hatch, which is unusually late this year. Unfortunately, these abnormal conditions put a serious damper on the fishing action. Despite the slow fishing, the trip was still fun just to raft through this spectacular canyon and to camp along the river with my dad and our buddies, with the deluxe camps provided by Rigs.
See many more photos from our trip below.
[+] Sunrise alpenglow on the peaks above Yankee Boy Basin, San Juan Mountains, Colorado.
This last Monday I woke up at 2am, drove up to Yankee Boy Basin, and hiked in the dark via headlamp up to the ridgeline of Cirque Mountain, a 13-thousand footer with a nice view of neighboring Mount Sneffels. With a solid overnight freeze, the snowpack was hard as a rock and the hiking was easy with my crampons. Dawn was just starting to break when I got to my destination, so I put on all my layers, put the hand warmers in my gloves, and hunkered down behind a big rock out of the chilly wind while I waited for the sunrise.
Here’s a few digital shots of the sunrise. You can see my large format shot here.
On Friday I went down to Durango to take a two day Wilderness First Aid course offered by the Nols Wilderness Medicine Institute. Since I go backpacking so much in the summertime and backcountry snowboard so much in the winter, I figured it was about time I knew these things in case something went wrong out in the wilderness.
Griz demonstrates an improvised leg splint.
MTV HD Crow from mate on Vimeo. This is a spot by PSYOP.
“There is pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society where none intrudes,
By the deep sea and the music in its roar;
I love not man the less, but Nature more.”
– Lord Byron
Last week I watched the movie Into the Wild, based on the book by Jon Krakauer and screenplay and directed by Sean Penn. This is a true story about Christopher McCandless, who upon graduating college, got rid of all his possessions and any ties to society, and embarked on a wandering journey through the west, eventually meeting his untimely death in the wilderness of Alaska where he was trying to live off the land.
This is one of the most powerful movies I can remember seeing. Many of us have the spirit of wanderlust and freedom within us, and this story really touches that in a profound way. I’ve read Krakauer’s book several years ago; it was a quick read and I don’t remember it having much of an impact on me. The book left me with the idea that Christopher was simply crazy and on somewhat of a suicide mission. The movie; however, explores more of the personal relationships Christopher made along the way, and shows that although Christopher despised the trappings of society, he had a lust for raw life and his death was truly an unfortunate accident. Also, importantly, the movie is able to show the awesome landscapes of the west which themselves could be considered central characters in the story.
It’s an incredibly sad and touching story that many of us can relate to in some way, whether we’re stuck in the rat race or actively pursuing our own dreams, or a little of both.
As a side note, I was pleased to hear several Kaki King songs in the soundtrack. She’s long been a favorite musician of mine, and her melancholy yet inspiring guitar is a perfect match for the film.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Powered by WordPress using a template built by Upstart Blogger and modified by WideRange Galleries.
