I returned to Woods Lake near Telluride yesterday to shoot more of the great aspen colors there, prepared to camp in my truck for the night. Except that I forgot my sleeping bag! D’oh! Determined to stick with my plan, I bundled up in two down jackets and three pants layers and actually got a somewhat decent night’s sleep. It was mostly for naught, though, since the skies were clear and boring this morning. The photo above was from the late afternoon when a little patch of light shone through the clouds right before some impressive thunderstorms rolled in and stayed for half the night.
A couple photos taken yesterday evening near Dallas Divide in the San Juans, while trying to hide from speeding cars and mobs of photographers. The colors out there right now are pretty phenomenal!
It seems to be a banner year for fall colors around the San Juans! I can’t remember seeing such a wide variety of colors in the aspens before… yellows, oranges, reds, and even a few mystical purple ones. Lots of healthy aspens this year. Also, the weather has finally returned, with lots of clouds and dustings of snow on the peaks. Woohoo! Here’s some photos from the aptly named Fall Creek today.
I spent several days this last week on the Grand Mesa, relaxing and fly fishing with my dad. This was my first time visiting the Grand Mesa… it’s really a beautiful place, kind of like being in the mountains, minus the mountains. Here are some photos!
Dusk reflection in one of the many lakes (well, reservoirs mostly) on the Grand Mesa.
Amazing variety of autumn colors in the vast aspens fields along the south side of the mesa.
I spent four days this week hiking around in the Elk Mountains, where I photographed the rugged and mighty Capitol Peak for three sunsets in a row, from various vantage points. Read more and see LOTS of photos here!
Here’s yet another 4×5 photo from the archives, unearthed from the depths of a backup harddrive where it’s been collecting dust for 4 years. This was taken back in September 2006, during a backpacking trip in the San Juans with fellow photographers Momo Vuyisich and his friend Csaba. (See more photos from the trip here). We had arrived at the high elevation Columbine Lake in the afternoon in the midst of a rain/sleet/snow storm and sat around in our tents for a while. When we noticed that the storm was clearing we quickly hiked to a high ridgeline above the lake and beheld this amazing view of the storm clouds clearing off the peaks! This was the first shot I took, with a wide angle lens. Since the clouds were lifting so fast, I quickly switched to a longer lens, refocussed, and shot a second, tighter shot that has been a favorite ever since. This one here has more of the clouds, though, and looks really cool especially at full resolution.
I’ll never forget witnessing and photographing this fleeting spectacle from such a lofty vantage point. Nor will I forget Momo’s enthusiasm… he kept shouting “Woooohooooo!!!!! Woooohooooo!!!!!” Good times…
By the way, this orange mountain here is one of my all time favorite mountains on Earth… because of the amazing snowboarding lines it offers in the winter! I’ve ridden countless different lines on many different sides of it over the years. See, and read on below…
A sunset snapshot from my friends’ backyard in Ridgway, Colorado this evening. The clouds and rain (and associated weather cinema) came back yesterday and today after several weeks of bluebird sunny skies. Unfortunately* the forecast is calling for a return of more sunny weather for the next few weeks.
*Unfortunate for photography; fortunate for hiking/hunting/any-other-outdoor-activity.
On Tuesday my buddy Chris and my friends’ dog Lily and I hiked two fourteeners in the San Juans – Redcloud and Sunshine Peaks. Nothing too spectacular about these mountains, just a long stroll up two massive San Juan rock piles. One cool thing, actually, about Redcloud Peak is its colorful bands of red, orange, and yellow rocks. I spent quite a bit of time up there taking abstract photos of these colors; perhaps I’ll post a small collection of these another time. But for now, here’s a few photos from the hike. The one above is Redcloud Peak, as seen from its neighbor Sunshine.
