Sunset over Big Cottonwood Canyon and the Great Salt Lake beyond, from high up in the Wasatch Range near Lake Blanche – Utah.
A nearly full moon rises behind Sundial Peak and Lake Blanche.
Last night we did a quick backpack hike from Big Cottonwood Canyon to Lake Blanche and Sundial Peak, in the Twin Peaks Wilderness of the Wasatch Range in Utah. Though the wind was relentless during our stay, we had fun exploring this lovely basin and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset and moonrise above the lake.
After tromping around in the snow smothered aspens near the top of Guardsman Pass yesterday, we drove down below the snow line towards Midway and found a fantastic trail to hike through vast groves of colorful aspens and brilliant neon red oaks. Pure eye candy!
The beauty of autumn (especially amongst aspens) is sometimes so overwhelming that it fills me with an intangible sense of longing — a desire to grasp the beauty, to hold and own the moment forever. But these moments and feelings slip by like sand through your fingers, and there’s nothing to do but let the beauty stream by and be grateful for the experience, however brief it may be.
Our big summer road trip is almost over and soon I will start posting many new photos and trip reports from our adventures up north! In the meantime, here are some photos from yesterday up near Guardsman Pass at the head of the Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Range of Utah. With a fresh snowfall smothering the golden aspens, along with a mystical foggy atmosphere, the photography conditions were just about as dreamy as can be!
A vertical panoramic view of a foggy, snow-smothered aspen forest in September.
Lunar alpenglow and lights from Sundance ski area illuminate Mount Timpanogos, as seen from Deer Creek Reservoir. The bright lights of Provo beyond the mountain brighten the night sky above.
Moonset behind Mount Timpanogos and Deer Creek Reservoir on a snowy Utah winter morning in December.
On our way back from the Sawtooths, on Tuesday Claudia and I did a day hike up Mount Timpanogos, the most famous and beloved mountain in the Wasatch Range in Utah. We started from the Aspen Grove trailhead, and our leisurely tour took us 9 hours up and down.
Looking up at Timp – the summit shelter is just barely visible at top right.
See some more photos below! Continue reading “Timp Dayhike”
Sundial Flowers : Prints Available
Here’s some photos from a nice hike we did in the Wasatch Range in Utah a couple days ago!
Sundial Sunset : Prints Available
On tap: a week in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho! Stay tuned…
Dawn light on Mount Timpanogos, moments before Deer Creek Reservoir’s morning fog shrouded the scene. Happy holidays!
Brilliant backlit autumn colors in the foothills of the Wasatch Range, Utah.
Fresh snow blankets the North Peak of Mount Timpanogos.
This last weekend I went up to Utah to visit my parents, who are building a house in Midway, and my sister, who was visiting and is about to move back to Berlin. On Saturday night I was supposed to go to a play with them, but my mom was kind enough to let me play hooky to go hike up Mount Timpanogos instead.
Since it was almost a full moon, I decided to go watch the sunset from the summit and hike back down under the moonlight. I’ve been up the mountain twice before via the Aspen Grove trail (including a glorious snowboard descent), so this time I took a different trail – the Timpooneke Trail. The trail gains ~4,500 feet over ~8 miles, and after a quick three hour hike I reached the summit at 5pm, with a full two hours to relax up there by myself, soaking in the views and taking photos.
Timpanogos may be Utah’s most beloved mountain, and indeed on this Saturday I counted over 300 signatures in the summit register – all from that day! It’s great to see to see that so many people enjoy this majestic peak that’s in their backyard.
See my sunset photos from Timpanogos here.
I look forward to returning soon and photographing Timp under a blanket of winter snow.
