As I mentioned in my last post, the avalanche conditions are extremely tender right now in the San Juans. Our snow pits revealed 2-3 feet of recent snow clinging precariously to 2-3 feet of rotten sugar snow – the worst winter avalanche ingredients possible. There is widespread “whoomphing” and shooting cracks. We took a conservative descent route, practiced our best safety protocol on the way down, and managed to stay out of trouble.

Here’s a picture of a slab avalanche in the gully on our way out (it had already slid naturally before we got there). In conditions this bad, any steep slope, not matter how short, has the potential to bury a person. We skied out of there on pins and needles, feeling that perhaps it’s not the time to be out in the backcountry at all, no matter how fluffy and tempting that powder is.

The snowpack is so fundamentally screwed that I can’t imagine the conditions improving anytime soon. It may be months before we can ride steeper lines again – maybe not until spring. The good news is that I’ll get a lot of work done this winter!

Aimee getting some fresh tracks on her birthday on Wednesday. Earlier this week two feet of snow fell on top of an extremely thin and unstable snowpack, creating super sketchy avalanche conditions and numerous avy accidents across Colorado. So we’ve been sticking to the tamest routes of all, avoiding any avalanche terrain whatsoever. In any case, it feels great to get high in the San Juans again! Stay safe!

Aerial view of Mt. Evans (14264 ft / 4348 m) - January. Note the road winding up to the summit.

After the most stressful and frustrating two days of flying that I’ve yet experienced, I’m finally back home in Colorado. In the grand scheme of things I suppose that two days, no matter how stressful, is a pretty quick time to travel from the tip of South America to the center of North America! But for a 21st century man it was just a pretty crappy series of delayed plane flights.

The nice thing, though, about living on Colorado’s western slope is the opportunity to fly directly over the Rockies whenever flying through the Denver hub. The half-hour flight yesterday from Denver to Montrose was one of the more scenic ones I’ve done, since we went right after the sun set, right after a snowstorm cleared. I was snapping away at the window with my camera most of the time, happy to have a nice consolation flight after such a long two sleepless days. See more shots below!

Square Top Mountain (13794 ft / 4204 m) - January 2012

I shot these with a wide open f/1.8 aperture in order to make sure that the little streams of de-icer fluid streaming across the window would be out-of-focus beyond recognition. ISO 400 ensured a quick enough shutter speed to prevent motion blur.

Aerial view of the Continental Divide in winter.  Landslide Peak (13,238 ft) is at the bottom. Grays Peak (14278 ft / 4352 m) is poking out of the clouds at the top center of the photo - January.

It’s always fun to pick out the various peaks and basins from the air, many of them places I’ve hiked, camped, and/or snowboarded before.

Aerial view of the ski resort and town of Copper Mountain.  The Gore Range is at the top - January. 

Here’s I-70 winding past Copper Mountain and through the Gore and Ten Mile Ranges. Glad I’m not driving down there!

Aerial view of the Elk Mountains near Aspen - January 2012.

Flying directly over the rugged Elk Mountains is always a highlight of the flight. In my experience the north side of the plane is usually the best side for viewing the Elks on this flight. The Black Canyon is the other highlight, but that was on the other side of the plane this time. It’s a bit harder to predict which side of the plane to be on to see the canyon, probably due to the close proximity of landing in Montrose.

Aerial view of the Elk Mountains near Aspen - January. The Maroon Bells are visible in the upper center of the photo.

I’m glad to be back home!

Today we took advantage of the glorious blue sky weather by hiking up to Ice Lakes Basin to check out the autumn colors up on the tundra there. It was a nice mellow day in the mountains, and a fitting farewell hike to Colorado! (More on that in the next post!)

I had a chuckle when we spotted some ski tracks in the snowfield at upper left in the top photo. Hardcore!

Animas Sunset : Prints Available

A brilliant sunset above Animas Mountain deep in the Weminuche Wilderness, August. 

Last week we did a 7-day loop trek in and around the Needle Mountains, the rugged heart of the Weminuche Wilderness in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. As usual, we had some crazy weather during our trip, including lots of lightning, thunder, and several stunning sunrises and sunsets. See lots more photos below!

Jagged Dusk : Prints Available

Jagged Mountain (13,824 ft.) reflects in a small pond at dusk.

Dawn in the Needles : Prints Available

Dawn reflection at a remote lake high in the Needle Mountains.  Mt. Eolus (14,039 ft.) is at left, Monitor Peak (13,695 ft.), Peak Thirteen (13,706 ft.), and Animas Mountain (13,786 ft.) are at right.

Eolus Reflection #2 : Prints Available

North side of Mt. Eolus (14,039) reflection at sunrise.

Hiking over a high pass in the Needle Mountains - August. 

Purple Dawn : Prints Available

Magenta dawn light high in the Weminuche Wilderness. 

Sunlight Sunrise Reflection : Prints Available

An incredible sunrise light show at a high lake in the Weminuche Wilderness.  These surreal clouds formed out of a clear sky in a matter of minutes right during the brilliant sunrise light.  The mountains here are Windom Peak (14,083 ft., left) and Sunlight Peak (14,059 ft., right).

Sunlight Mountain Goat : Prints Available

A mountain goat and her kid check the scene at Sunlight Lake - August.

Mountain Goat on Rock : Prints Available

A mountain goat walks towards the camera, high in the Weminuche Wilderness. 

Jagged Sunrise Reflection : Prints Available

Jagged Mountain reflects in a small pond at sunrise in the Weminuche Wilderness - August. 

Claudia hikes up a 13,600 ft. pass high in the Weminuche Wilderness. 

Chicago Basin Sunset : Prints Available

A brief sunset seen from Chicago Basin.

This is the fourth time I’ve done a week-long trek in these mountains; here are some links to photo galleries previous similar treks I’ve done in the Weminuche Wilderness in August 2010, August 2008, and September 2007.

For those of you interested in knowing more details about the routes I’ve done in the Weminuche, in the spirit of exploration all I can say is get yourself some topo maps and have at it. These are wild mountains, fit for experienced backpackers who are comfortable navigating off trail by map and instincts in remote, complex, and rugged terrain. Those of you who fall into that category may agree that half the fun of these kinds of trips is the sense of exploration and discovery which is becoming ever rarer these days. If you prefer fully detailed route descriptions and guidebooks, it would be more enjoyable to stick to the trails – and believe me the Weminuche Wilderness has plenty of amazing trail hikes to last many summers!

Snowmass Lake Alpenglow Reflection : Prints Available

Brilliant alpenglow on Snowmass Peak and Snowmass Mountain (14,092 ft.), reflected in Snowmass Lake - July. 

Last week we spent 6 days backpacking around the famous Maroon Bells in the Elk Mountains of Colorado. The photos pretty much tell the story so I won’t say too much else except that it was another great trek in Colorado!

See many more photos below!

Crater Lake Reflection : Prints Available

The Maroon Bells reflect in Crater Lake at dawn. 

Purity Basin : Prints Available

Endless green in Purity Basin, as seen from West Maroon Pass - July. 

Purity Basin Sunflowers : Prints Available

Sunflowers in Purity Basin - July. 

Hikers descend into Fravert Basin from Frigid Air Pass, with the Maroon Bells dominating the scene - July. 

Fravert Blues : Prints Available

The Maroon Bells reflect in a partly snowed-in tarn high in Fravert Basin, with gloomy, stormy evening weather. 

Rainy Columbine : Prints Available

Columbine with a rain storm moving in behind.

Geneva Lake Sunset : Prints Available

A sunset spotlight on Snowmass Mountain, reflected in Geneva Lake. 

Lead King Storm : Prints Available

Stormy weather above Lead King Basin. 

Misty Bells : Prints Available

Storm clouds lift off the Maroon Bells, above Fravert Basin - July. 

Trail Rider Sunflowers : Prints Available

Sunflowers at Trail Rider Pass. 

Hiking towards Snowmass Lake, from Trail Rider Pass. 

Snowmass Lake Vista : Prints Available

An overview of the windex-colored Snowmass Lake - July.

Snowmass Lake Trees : Prints Available

Pine trees and Snowmass Lake. 

Snowmass Lake Alpenglow Reflection : Prints Available

Brilliant alpenglow on Snowmass Peak and Snowmass Mountain (14,092 ft.), reflected in Snowmass Lake - July. 

Snowmass Lake Reflection Panorama : Prints Available

Early morning shadows play on Snowmass Peak, reflected in Snowmass Lake. 

Claudia scrambles up the southern ridge of Snowmass Mountain, on the way to the 14,092 ft. summit. 

Anonymous climbers arrive at the 14,092 ft. summit of Snowmass Mountain after climbing up the west ridge.

Hiking up Buckskin Pass, with Snowmass Mountain behind. 

Buckskin Paintbrush : Prints Available

Blood red Indian Paintbrush wildflowers on Buckskin Pass, with North Maroon Peak (14,014 ft.) behind.

Sage Ladybug : Prints Available

A ladybug sits atop a sage brush at sunrise. 

Wetterhorn Sunrise Sunflowers : Prints Available

Sunrise light on Wetterhorn Peak, with Matterhorn Peak to the left.  Uncompahgre Wilderness, July. 

Last week Claudia and I went on a 5-day backpacking loop in the Uncompahgre Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains east of Ouray. Our route circumnavigated the fourteeners Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre Peaks and took us through a paradise of expansive green tundra, wildflowers, and peaks.

See a LOT more photos below!

Hiking into the Middle Fork of the Cimarrons.  Coxcomb Peak (13,656 ft.) towers above on the right. 

Wetterhorn Peak Sunset : Prints Available

Sunset light on Wetterhorn Peak (14,015 ft.), a fourteener in the Uncompahgre Wilderness - July. 

After setting up camp in the Middle Fork basin and hanging out for the afternoon, we set off on an evening hike to shoot the sunset on Wetterhorn Peak. This is a shot that I’ve taken before, back in 2007, but I’m think I’m happier with the results this time.

Claudia's shot of me and my camera high above Wetterhorn Basin.

Wetterhorn Moonflowers : Prints Available

Moon, sunflowers, and Wetterhorn Peak, in the dusk glow in July.

During this trip I experimented a lot with pushing the limits of my 24mm tilt/shift lens. By using the extremes of the lens’s tilt I was able to maintain focus on both the close up flowers and the far peak in one single frame.

Although we arrived back at camp late, we woke up early at 3:30am, packed up our gear and the tent, and hiked in the dark up the next pass. I made it to my destination just in time for a wonderful sunrise!

Wetterhorn Sunrise Sunflowers : Prints Available

Sunrise light on Wetterhorn Peak, with Matterhorn Peak to the left.  Uncompahgre Wilderness, July. 

Hiking on the vast tundra below Matterhorn Peak and Wetterhorn Peak. 

After shooting the sunrise and taking a high altitude nap in the sleeping bag, we wandered down the tundra basin, continuing our journey.

Hiking along the brilliant green tundra towards Uncompahgre Peak (14,309 feet), the tallest mountain in the San Juans.

At about this point in the East Fork we left the trail and blazed our own route on the tundra over the pass north of Uncompahgre Peak, into the remote and seldom visited Big Blue Creek basin.

View from the tent in Big Blue Creek.

After a bit of searching, we found a great camp spot with a commanding view of the beautiful valley below. Our Big Agnes Seedhouse tent provided a sanctuary from the swarming mosquitos here!

Big Blue Shadows : Prints Available

Evening shadows along the head of Big Blue Creek in the Uncompahgre Wilderness - July.

Big Blue Sunset : Prints Available

Beautiful sunset over Big Blue Creek. 

Big Blue Uncompahgre : Prints Available

The north face of Uncompahgre Peak (14,309 ft.), as seen from Big Blue Creek. 

The next day we hiked from the north around the south side of Uncompahgre Peak, and we ditched our backpacks and bagged the summit along the way!

Claudia and Jack on the summit of Uncompahgre Peak

Uncompahgre Summit Panorama : Prints Available

Panoramic view from the summit of Uncompahgre Peak, the tallest mountain in the San Juans at 14,309 ft.  Wetterhorn Peak is in the center, and the Sneffels Range behind in the distance. 

>> VIEW IT LARGER! <<

The view from Uncompahgre’s summit is incredible, especially this time of year with the remnant snowfields forming the white zebra patterns on the green tundra.

Hiking along the high tundra with Wetterhorn Peak and Matterhorn Peak behind - July. 

Back down from Uncompahgre Peak, we continued our journey along the high tundra. Fortunately the sometimes-ominous-looking clouds never made it to storm/lightning stage.

After setting up camp near treeline along Matterhorn Creek, and relaxing and having dinner, we then set out to hike up Matterhorn Peak for sunset! We made it to the high ridgeline just below the summit, but opted to not attempt the summit climb since it looked like an utterly precarious rock pile ready to topple at any moment. No thanks!

Hiking up Matterhorn Peak in the late afternoon to watch the sunset and moonrise. 

Claudia soaks in the view of Uncompahgre Peak from the comfort of the sleeping bag.

Uncompahgre Sunset Panorama : Prints Available

Panoramic sunset view of Uncompahgre Peak, the sixth highest fourteener in Colorado, as seen from Matterhorn Peak.

Wetterhorn Moonlight : Prints Available

Moonlight illuminates Wetterhorn Peak, as seen from Matterhorn Peak. 

We stayed up there for several hours, enjoying the sunset and the moonrise before heading back down to our camp under the full moon light.

Hiking over the pass south of Wetterhorn Peak, with Matterhorn Peak and Uncompahgre Peak are behind. 

The next day we headed up over the pass south of Wetterhorn Peak. We really wanted to climb the peak; it’s my favorite one around here and Claudia’s never done it before. But we decided not to since the clouds were looking very ominous. It never did storm that afternoon, but of course there was no way to know that at the time.

A curious marmot poses for the camera. 

Wetterhorn Paintbrush : Prints Available

Pink paintbrush wildflowers in Wetterhorn Basin, July. 

We spent the whole rest of the day relaxing and wandering around in Wetterhorn Basin.

Hiking over Coxcomb Pass.

On Day 5 we hiked up and over Coxcomb Pass and back out the Middle Fork, concluding another great trek in the San Juans!

A summer monsoon storm rolls over the San Juan Mountains, as seen from Bridge of Heaven above Ouray, Colorado – July.

This was actually the first time I’ve seen the parade! Usually I manage to sleep in until the jets flying through the valley wake me up…

Chevy classic.

Nice ride, Dude!

The water fights were great this year; the first three were intense battles that lasted for a long time, with each team battling back and forth until finally one of them lost control.

Getting blasted.

In the senior men’s final, the champions dominated! The minute the last fight was over, the skies unleashed with a torrential downpour and thunder.

James’s first fireworks.

And the highlight of the 4th, as always, was the firework show. Sorry, I don’t have any photos of those, as I was too amazed to do anything but stare. Ouray is seriously the coolest place anywhere to see fireworks – after each explosion, the blasts echo around the surrounding mountains like a stadium. The echoes are almost cooler than the fireworks themselves!

On Saturday we took advantage of the glorious July weather and hiked up Hayden Mountain. Here’s Claudia hiking up to the 12,578 ft. northern summit of Hayden. The town of Ouray is tucked in the valley far below.