Sawtooths Trek

Alice Lake, Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho, reflection

Alice Lake Morning : Prints Available

Dawn reflection at Alice Lake.

For many years I’ve been longing to visit the Sawtooth Range in Idaho, and last week I finally got the chance! We went on a 7-day backpacking trek through the range, starting from Pettit Lake and ending at Redfish Lake, taking a few detours along the way.

hiking, Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho, Twin Lakes

Hiking above the brilliant blue Twin Lakes.

The Sawtooths did not disappoint, with their seemingly endless supply of emerald lakes surrounded by jagged granite spires.

See more photos from the trek below! Continue reading “Sawtooths Trek”

Sundials

Sundial Peak, Wildflowers, Wasatch Range, Utah

Sundial Flowers : Prints Available

Wildflowers below Sundial Peak, lit by a half-set sun - August.

Here’s some photos from a nice hike we did in the Wasatch Range in Utah a couple days ago!

Sundial Peak, Wasatch Range, Utah, sunset, Lake Blanche

Sundial Sunset : Prints Available

Red sunset light on Sundial Peak - August.  In the foreground is the red glacier-scoured rock that surrounds Lake Blache.  Shortly after taking this photo, thunder clouds and lightning came over the ridge into the basin, sending us running for our lives down into the forest!

On tap: a week in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho! Stay tuned…

Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop

Snowmass Lake, Snowmass Mountain, sunrise, alpenglow, reflection, Elk Mountains, Colorado

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! Continue reading “Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop”

Wetterhorn/Uncompahgre Loop

Wetterhorn Peak, Uncompahgre Wilderness, San Juan Mountains, Colorado, sunflowers, 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! Continue reading “Wetterhorn/Uncompahgre Loop”

Springtime at Blue Lakes

Sneffels Range, San Juan Mountains, Colorado, sunset, tundra

Sneffels Range Tundra Sunset : Prints Available

The sun sets behind the Sneffels Range, as seen from the tundra near Upper Blue Lake - June. 

Claudia and I spent Thursday night up at Blue Lakes in the Sneffels Range. We enjoyed an exciting thunderstorm, followed by a windy evening, a night with an unidentified animal stalking around our tent, and finally a gorgeous clear morning. But the highlight of all – Claudia said yes and we’re engaged!!!

Blue Lake, Dallas Peak, Sneffels Range, San Juan Mountains, Colorado, panorama

Blue Lake Vertical Panorama : Prints Available

A vertical panorama of Lower Blue Lake under Dallas Peak and the Sneffels Range.
Lower Blue Lake, Sneffels Range, San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Blue and Green : Prints Available

Shore of Lower Blue Lake, Sneffels Range, June. 
Blue Lake, Sneffels Range, San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Lower Blue Lake Wideangle : Prints Available

A wide angle view of Lower Blue Lake in the Sneffels Range - June. 

Memories of Peru

Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru, Yerupaja, Jirishanca, reflection, sunrise, Laguna Carhuacocha

Carhuacocha Sunrise : Prints Available

Brilliant sunrise alpenglow on the tallest peaks of the Cordillera Huayhuash (Yerupaja, Yerupaja Chico, and Jirishanca),  reflected in Laguna Carhuacocha - June.

Here are a few photos “from the vault”, from my trip to Peru a year ago. Both were taken along our trek around the Cordillera Huayhuash. One of my favorite shots from the trek was from this same spot but at sunset. Because I liked that one better, with its softer, calmer light and clouds, I never posted this version from sunrise. But this one definitely has some pop, eh?

Yerupaja, panorama, Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru, Jirishanca

Yerupaja Panorama : Prints Available

A panoramic view of the Cordillera Huayhuash around Yerupaja (6617m, 21,709 ft.), the second tallest mountain in Peru.   Jirishanca (6094m) is towards the left side.  June 2010.

>> SEE LARGER VERSION HERE <<

I took this panorama during one of the more spectacular bits of hiking during the 11-day trek. That day we came from over a pass off the right side of the photo, but instead of taking the standard trail down through the valley, we hiked along this high ridgeline, with a huge views of the mountain range the whole way. We ended up at a lake down in the valley on the left side of the photo, under impressive peak of Jirishanca.

My spontaneous three week trip to Peru last June ended up being a wonderful decision, not the least because I met my girlfriend Claudia on this trek! I would have never guessed before this that I’d soon be spending six months in the Alps to be with her. And she arrives to Colorado on Monday!!! So thank you, Peru!

Jirishanca, Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru, stream, lake

North Crestone

Sangre de Cristo, Colorado, North Crestone, sunset, June

After I left the Great Sand Dunes in the morning on Tuesday, on a whim I headed to nearby Crestone and went backpacking up the North Crestone Trail in the Sangre de Cristo Range. Unlike the San Juans, which are still smothered in snow, the Sangres are almost totally dry already. Although I was planning on camping up at North Crestone Lake, when I finally arrived there [six fairly grueling miles later] I was disappointed to find no suitable spot to camp near the lake. Besides, it was very windy up there… too windy. So I retreated back to the next meadow down where I spotted a nice established camp spot in the forest next to the creek. Exhausted from my lack of sleep the night before in the Dunes, I took a nap, shot the sunset, lit a small campfire for a while, then fell fast asleep in my tent for nearly 12 hours!

The valley where I camped was not particularly photogenic, imo, and the boring blue sky was not inspiring either. After wandering around for a while the most interesting thing that caught my eye was a bunch of dead trees up on the mountainside. So I hiked up there and shot the setting sun beaming through the bare tree skeletons. Certainly not my best photo ever but I like it and I was proud of myself for putting in the effort to find one intriguing scene to shoot when normally I probably would have just not even bothered.

Sangre de Cristo, Colorado, aspens, North Crestone, June

The lower/middle portion of North Crestone Creek is special because the valley is chock-full of aspens. This would be a spectacular hike to do in the fall when the trees are golden yellow!