This morning I got out on the snow for the first time since getting back to Ouray. I was surprised at how snowy it still is in May! The spring skiing season is looking good!
Skier: Jordan.
Skier: Paul.
Tag: San Juans
A Wintery Welcome
After a series of flights and frantic airport connections on Sunday, I finally made it back home to Ouray from Europe! It was quite a shock to come from full-on spring in Germany and Switzerland to full-on dumping snow in Ouray! It seems that spring is in no hurry around here; the trees are still bare and there looks to be quite a bit of snow in the higher peaks. The photo above was taken on Monday morning after about 8 inches of fresh snow blanketed the town overnight.
The recent snow melted in a few days and today I went on a hike up one of the drier trails in the Amphitheater above town.
It’s always interesting to return to the San Juans after visiting foreign mountains. I see with fresh eyes and appreciate the subtle characteristics that make these mountains unique. For example, while the mountains around Ouray aren’t quite as large, dramatic, and glaciated as the Swiss Alps around Engelberg, these mountains are more complex, with a much broader network of connected valleys and branching terrain.
Anyhow, it feels great to be back, and I look forward to a fun summer – especially when Claudia gets here in July! But first, a couple months of springtime adventures on the snow!
Two Days Later…
Ouray Snowy Autumn Panorama : Prints Available
First snow in Ouray! Taken two days after the same fall photo in my previous post.
Autumn in Ouray
Ouray Stormy Autumn Panorama : Prints Available
Rusty Rocks
Here are some abstract photos from a hike yesterday. I’ve hiked this trail numerous times and have always marveled at the crazy patterns, textures, and colors in this certain section of exposed rock. This time I stopped to take some photos. Here are a few that I liked. Overcast, stormy skies provided the perfect lighting, and a simple boost of contrast really made the colors pop even more.
Yellow in Ouray
Autumn in Ouray, Colorado
Woods Lake
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.
More Colors
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!
Golden Autumn
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.
Autumn Under the Sun
Some photos of the colorful aspens from a hike off Red Mountain Pass, in the San Juan Mountains near Ouray, Colorado.
More photos below!
