A September sunset rainbow over the town of Ouray – San Juan Mountains, Colorado.
End of the Rainbow
Tag: San Juans
A Visit to Columbine Lake
The lazy melancholy atmosphere of autumn has arrived in the high country… the tundra is golden brown, the air has a crisp edge, and the marmots have either burrowed into their holes or retreated to lower elevations. Yesterday we went out for a quick overnighter at Columbine Lake, in the San Juans of Colorado, to savor some time up high before the winter snows cover the tundra for another nine months.
Sunrise light on Lookout Peak (13,661 ft.) above Columbine Lake – September.
Handies Peak
Looking southwest from the summit of Handies Peak (14,053 ft.) towards Sloan Lake, Jones Mountain, Niagara Peak, and La Plata Mountains in the far distance.
After a wet rainy week stuck inside the house, by Thursday I’d had enough and decided to get out and hike up Handies Peak, a fourteener here in the San Juans which I haven’t hiked before. Despite the cold wind and nasty looking clouds, I continued up the peak, encouraged by the occasional glimpse of blue sky. Sure enough, as I approached the summit the clouds started clearing off a bit, so I sat up there for a few hours bundled up in my down clothes and waited for sunset – which never really did much, but anyways it wasn’t a bad place to hang out for a while!
Fast moving clouds at dusk on the summit of Handies Peak (14,053 ft.). Redcloud and Sunshine Peaks are two more 14ers visible on the left side horizon.
On a side note, earlier this summer in July, Adam Campbell, a runner in the infamous Hardrock 100 endurance race, was nearly struck by lightning high on Handies. He and his pacer were both knocked off their feet, but otherwise uninjured, and he continued on to finish third place!
Wildflower Wonderland
Sultan Mountain at the end of the rainbow.
A large field of Indian Paintbrush wildflowers on a stormy July morning.
Earlier this week Claudia and I backpacked for 5 days in the mountains west of Silverton, Colorado, following an improvised route that took us through numerous high alpine basins filled with endless fields of wildflowers. With a weather forecast calling for lots of rain, we almost decided against this trip – but then I considered that bad weather usually equals good photos, so at the last minute we decided to go for it anyways. Although we did have our fair share of rain, we also witnessed some of the most spectacular scenes of the summer so far!
See lots more photos below! Continue reading “Wildflower Wonderland”
Mystical San Juans
Indian Paintbrush wildflowers backlit by sunset in the San Juans, Colorado – July.
The San Juans were treated to a fantastic sunset last night, followed by an even more spectacular sunrise. I was fortunate to squeeze in a quick trip to the mountains to catch the shows.
Sunrise light illuminates Vestal Peak (13,884 ft.) and Arrow Peak (13,803 ft.) in the Grenadier Range, Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado.
The rugged Grenadier Range rises above the rolling green tundra of the Weminuche Wilderness – July.
Misty clouds above the tundra headwaters of the Rio Grande, Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado.
Misty clouds roll over the high tundra in the Weminuche Wilderness.
The Hills are Alive
A meadow of yellow wildflowers in the Sneffels Range, San Juan Mountains, Colorado – July.
A deer wanders through wildflowers.
Endless field of wildflowers under the Sneffels Range – July. Mount Sneffels is the pyramid-looking peak to the left.
A Special Cimarron Sunset
Evening light shines on Redcliff and Coxcomb Peak in the West Fork of the Cimarrons, San Juan Mountains, Colorado – June.
A brilliant sunset illuminates Redcliff and Coxcomb Peak in the West Fork of the Cimarron.
Lupine Daydream
A bluebird sky and beautiful meadow full of lupine wildflowers in the Sneffels Range, San Juan Mountains, Colorado – June.
Springtime in the San Juans
Mt. Sneffels and freshly budded aspens in the Sneffels Range, May.
It’s a particularly beautiful time right now here in southwest Colorado, with the snowy peaks towering above brilliant green meadows and freshly budded aspen groves.
Sunset light filters through springtime aspens – May.
Mt. Sneffels and the Sneffels Range tower above the Double RL ranch near Ridgway, Colorado – May.
Sneffels Ski
What better way to cap off a memorable winter season in the San Juans than a spring descent of Mt. Sneffels, the monarch of the Sneffels Range.
My partner for the day was Karl, our new friend from Germany who we randomly met and skied with the previous day. We left the truck at sunrise in order to get up and down the mountain before the hot May sun nuked the snow.
What a glorious day to be up high in the San Juans! There’s no denying by now that Mt. Sneffels has to be one of my favorite peaks in the world.
And there’s no better way to enjoy a favorite peak than to ski/snowboard down it!
