Sneffels Goes to Washington

Sneffels Range Autumn print in Senator Bennet's DC office
Colorado Senator Michael Bennet shows off his new “Sneffels Range Autumn” print hanging in his Washington, DC office.

I am honored that our Colorado Senator Michael Bennet now has a photo of mine hanging in his office in Washington, DC! He chose my image “Sneffels Range Autumn”, from the San Juan Mountains in Colorado, for a 40″ x 50″ acrylic face mount print to showcase some of the natural beauty we are fortunate to enjoy in our state. Thank you Senator Bennet and also to his assistant Kristin Mollet who was a pleasure to work with!

From the Vault: Mount Sneffels

Colorado,Mt. Sneffels,San Juan Mountains,Sneffels Range
Sneffels Winter Light : Prints Available

Sunset light shines through storm clouds around Mt. Sneffels – April, 2007.

Here’s a few older shots recently dug up from my archives of one of my favorite mountains, Mt. Sneffels in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

Colorado,Mt. Sneffels,San Juan Mountains,Sneffels Range
Snowy Sneffels : Prints Available

Sunrise light on Mt. Sneffels – March, 2007.

Colorado,Mt. Sneffels,San Juan Mountains,Sneffels Range, Dallas Peak, moon
Sneffels Moonset : Prints Available

Moonset over Dallas Peak, as seen from the summit of Mt. Sneffels – May, 2012.

Cosmic Sneffels, Take 2

Colorado,Mt. Sneffels,San Juan Mountains,Sneffels Range,stars, Milky Way, galaxy
Cosmic Sneffels : Prints Available

Mt. Sneffels in the Milky Way on a new moon night in June. The green color behind Sneffels is airglow, a common phenomenon of natural chemical reactions in the atmosphere.

On Wednesday I hiked up towards Mt. Sneffels to attempt a redo of a similar photo I took two years back, this year with a white, dust-free snowpack. I also came equipped with a brighter lens that’s better suited for night photography, so the details of the Milky Way are rendered much clearer in this photo than before.

The last two times I’ve visited this spot I camped with a tent, but on Wednesday I opted to travel lighter and go for an all-night hike instead. I reached my summit at 7pm, watched the sunset, and relaxed up there bundled up in warm clothes until finally the Milky Way was positioned directly above Sneffels at around 1am. I continued shooting until about 2:30am, then made my way back down in the dark, reaching the trailhead at sunrise! Sleep can wait…

One Fine June Day

On Wednesday Claudia and I went for a ski in the morning, and a wine hike in the evening!

Mt. Sneffels, Sneffels Range, San Juan Mountains, Colorado, Gilpin Peak, Potosi Peak, June, 14er, panorama

Looking at the south side of the Sneffels Range in early June.  Mt. Sneffels (14,156 ft.) is just about in the center; Gilpin Peak to its left looks bigger from this perspective but only because it’s closer. Potosi Peak is off to the right, and the town of Ouray way down the right side valley.

Ouray, San Juan Mountains, Colorado, panorama, June

Enjoying some wine from a nice vantage point over the town of Ouray (7,792 ft.), San Juan Mountains, Colorado – June.

Pristine Spring Snow

Colorado, San Juan Mountains, Sneffels Range, skiing, Yankee Boy Basin

Skier: Don Moden.  Mt. Sneffels in the background.

Despite a relatively low snowpack this year here in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, the spring skiing/snowboarding has been fantastic lately — in large part due to the pristine snowpack free of the dust pollution that typically blows into the mountains from the desert southwest every spring. So far this year the dust storms haven’t hit the San Juans (knock on wood), so the snow remains smooth, white, and shreddable!

See lots more photos below from recent lines this last week. Continue reading “Pristine Spring Snow”