Dan and I (and his dog) went out this morning to track up some more powder. Another storm should roll through soon… woohoo!
Early Season Stoke!
As clouds of snowflakes blow by, the sun shines through creating a strange luminescent snow-rainbow effect.
This morning Jeff and I went back out to enjoy some more of the early season powder. The last few days of snowstorms dumped a good amount of new snow in the higher San Juans, and the snowpack is now noticeably deeper than last time we went out.
Full-on winter conditions up high, with a cold wind and poor visibility in the foggy/snowy clouds.
Next step: bootpack up the left side of this mountain.
Upon reaching the top of our line, we waited as long as our patience could stand for the clouds to clear, but it seemed that the cloud was stuck on the mountain top. Finally we just had to go for it despite the poor visibility.
The lower we went, the better the visibility and the deeper the powder! Eventually we were arching high speed carves down the open basin.
Not too shabby for the 1st of November! I hope it keeps snowing until June.
Frosty in Ouray
Frosty aspens and U.S. Mountain on a wintery October morning along Camp Bird Road in the Sneffels Range above Ouray.
It’s been feeling a lot like mid-winter around Ouray lately, as a series of snowstorms passes through leaving everything smothered in powdery goodness! Keep it coming, please!
First Turns of Winter
Last night I pulled my splitboard out of the attic in anticipation of the first turns of winter. As we drove up the pass this morning everything was covered in frosty snow… what a glorious morning! I had to pull over and take a snapshot of the frosty aspens.
The snowpack looking a bit dubious on this southern slope on the way up.
Fortunately the north facing slopes were filled in with powder and looking good! Here’s Jeff getting in the groove. We just did one line but damn it was satisfying! I’m hoping for a good winter this season here in the San Juans after the last two crappy ones…
Winter Camping at Blue Lakes
Hungry for an adventure, on Tuesday I hiked up to Blue Lakes in the Sneffels Range to camp out in the snow. Late autumn can be a good time for winter camping – kind of like “diet” winter camping since there’s less snow to deal with and usually less avalanche danger (*depending, of course). Also, road access to most trailheads is still possible, and if you time it right the alpine lakes aren’t frozen yet which can offer some nice photo opportunities.
The weather forecast called for a brief but intense snowstorm, with little or no wind! Perfect time to head out into the mountains. Sure enough, in the late afternoon just as I was setting up the tent the storm clouds rolled into the mountains and it started snowing in earnest. I fell asleep to the sound of snowflakes falling on the tent, cozy in my puffy down cocoon. In the middle of the night, around 2:30am, I woke up and saw moonlight shining on the tent. I poked my head out and saw a dreamlike scene as the storm clouds were lifting off the peaks and the fresh snow glistened in the moonlight. Of course I jumped out of the tent as fast as I could to photograph the moment!
Winter camp in the snow above lower Blue Lake – October.
Though the clouds still covered the peaks in the morning, eventually they gave way to crystal clear blue skies.
A Few More Photos from the Pyrenees
Dusk reflection of Pic du Midi d’Ossau in Lac Gentau near the Refuge d’Ayous in the Pyrenees – September.
I have just updated my trip report from our trek in the Pyrenees with newly processed photos. This was our final trek of our European travels this last summer, and thus the last new photos I have to post from Europe.
Our trek through the Pyrenees was cut short by an unfortunate injury, and so I hope to return someday to see many parts of the range that we missed. And concerning the Alps and Europe in general, there are so many mountains there to see I feel like we only scratched the surface during our two months of trekking there. We could spend many many summers there before really getting a solid grasp on that mighty mountain range, and hopefully we’ll get the chance to do so in the future.
More Zugspitze Photos
Here’s a few photos of sunset and sunrise from our night atop the Zugspitze, the tallest mountain in Germany. See the complete trip report here, including photos from the 7,000+ vertical foot hike and klettersteig climb of the Höllental route.
Sunset light as seen from the summit of Zugspitze (2962m).
Sunset light on a rugged ridge of Zugspitze, high above the clouds.
Sunrise on the top of Zugspitze (2962m), the highest mountain in Germany.
The Vajolet Towers
Brilliant sunset light illuminates the Vajolet Towers in the Rosengarten as misty clouds swirl off the peaks.
Here’s “The Shot” I spoke about from the magical sunset we witnessed during our trek through the Rosengarten in the Dolomites in Italy back in August. It was such a sublime moment – truly one the most memorable and spectacular events I’ve witnessed in nature. If this photo conveys just a fraction of the true life experience, then I’m happy with it!
By the way, I’ve updated the original Rosengarten trip report, including this and other new photos. Check it out.
Photos from the Sesto/Sextener Dolomites
I’ve just posted some new landscape photos taken during the first half of our time in the Dolomites this summer, near Sexten and Cortina mainly around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, an impressive cluster of vertical peaks that look like rock knives thrust up from inside the earth. Despite my best efforts, the rainy overcast weather during that week offered precious few photo opportunities. Nevertheless, I did manage to grab a couple nice photos before and after the storm! See the full updated trip report here.
Dawn glow illuminates Tre Cime di Lavaredo / Drei Zinnen (2998m).
Tre Cime di Lavaredo / Drei Zinnen (2998m).
Brilliant enrosadira sunset light on Tre Cime di Lavaredo / Drei Zinnen (2998m) reflected in a small lake.
Dusk light over the Dolomites as seen from the base of Tre Cime, far over the village of Misurina.
Ouray Oktoberfest Fireworks
Happy 4th of July, I mean, Oktoberfest! Just like last year, Ouray had leftover fireworks since the 4th of July show was cancelled due to fire danger, so they shot them off for the Oktoberfest party instead.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there is no place like Ouray to watch (or listen to) fireworks! The booming echoes that reverberate around the mountain walls are incomparable.
Compare this photo with my shot of the fireworks last year, taken from the same perspective but much, much higher up!
