Walking through a golden aspen forest near Crested Butte, Colorado in September.
Stained Glass Forest
Tag: Colorado
First Day in Crested Butte
Beginning a new chapter in our life together, Claudia and I have moved from Ouray to Crested Butte! As much as we love Ouray and the San Juans and all our friends there, after much contemplation we decided that we should try living in a bit larger town where Claudia would have more opportunities. I’ve always loved the Crested Butte area and Claudia was really attracted to it as well last time we were here (it’s hard not to be). And it also doesn’t hurt that there are coffee shops and bicycles everywhere!
Although the rental market is tough in Crested Butte (like most ski towns in Colorado), we ended up finding a nice condo up at Mt. Crested Butte which is a sort of condo-village right near the ski resort base area and only about a 5 minute drive from the town proper. From our terrace we have a panoramic view of the actual Mt. Crested Butte, the ski area, and the Elk Mountains! We celebrated our first morning here by hiking up to the top of the Butte to see the lay of the land.
View from the 12,162 ft. summit of Mt. Crested Butte – September. Gothic Mountain is the prominent peak at center-left. To the right are the Elk Mountains; you can see the summits of Snowmass Mountain, the Maroon Bells, and Pyramid Peak sticking up higher than the rest. Our condo building is visible down there on the very left side of the photo.
The aptly named Mt. Crested Butte is indeed a butte with a pointy crested top, rising solo in the center of a broad basin ringed by mountain ranges on almost all sides. From the 12,162 ft. summit you see mountain valleys radiating out in all directions like the spokes of a wheel. There’s a distinct feeling of spaciousness around here; although I’m probably more aware of this having lived in the deep box canyon of Ouray for the last 8 years.
A colorful autumn sunset over Mt. Crested Butte – September.
Packing up our house and leaving Ouray was a tough choice to make but now that we’re here I’m super stoked. We’ll be here at least through May and maybe we stay for good, maybe we go back to Ouray; we’re just playing it by ear and making the most of it wherever we are and wherever we end up.
Sunset Above Ouray
A brilliant sunset high above the town of Ouray and the San Juan Mountains, Colorado – September.
Yesterday evening I was lucky to witness and photograph a fantastic sunset from one of my favorite overlooks of Ouray. This is a seldom visited spot that requires a steep bushwhack and an exposed scramble up crumbly cliffs to get to, but the reward is what I consider one of the best vantage points over the Ouray valley. I’ve been up here probably two or three times before, but never got so lucky with the sunset light!
The next week or so will be our last in Ouray at least for a while, so when I’ve been going on hikes recently and seeing such scenes (like this, and the rainbow last week), I can’t help but feel that the San Juans are smiling upon me, giving me a good sendoff! I know it’s dumb to think that way, but maybe I’m just getting a little sentimental!
Oh, Ouray…
A rainbow shines over the town of Ouray in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado – August.
It’s nice to be back!
Cosmic Sneffels, Take 2
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…
Sneffels June Light
Evening light on the Sneffels Range, as seen from Baldy Peak — San Juan Mountains, Colorado, June.
Sneffels Springtime
Freshly budded aspens below Mt. Sneffels – June.
One Fine June Day
On Wednesday Claudia and I went for a ski in the morning, and a wine hike in the evening!
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.
Enjoying some wine from a nice vantage point over the town of Ouray (7,792 ft.), San Juan Mountains, Colorado – June.
Mayuary
A frosty May 23rd morning that looks more like February or March!
Skier: Claudia Brauer.
During most of May, storms from the southwest have been lining up back to back pushing moisture into Colorado. Though it’s been raining quite a bit in the valleys, all that moisture has fallen as snow in the mountains, where it has often felt more like February than May in the mountains! We’ve been enjoying some great powder lines during the last few weeks; see more ski photos below! Continue reading “Mayuary”
May Powder Day
Skinning in paradise.
A spring storm rolled through Colorado over the weekend, dumping a foot of fresh powder on the mountains! We skied/snowboarded two very nice lines in a row on Monday; the first one (shown below) was from the high point in the photo above.
Skier: Don Moden.
And more storms are in the forecast! Winter’s not finished yet here in the San Juans!
