Man Against Nature

Well, in this case, nature most definitely won! My plans to overnight at a high altitude lake near Telluride were thwarted last night when lightning from a wicked early evening thunderstorm drove me off the mountain. My targeted destination for this trip was Hope Lake, a beautiful emerald green lake nestled high in the San Miguel subrange of the San Juan Mountains. Unlike my previous backpack trip to Crater Lake, this area was well above treeline so weather was even more of a concern. After waiting out an early afternoon thunderstorm, a clearing trend seemed to be prevailing. Since the trek to the lake was only 3 miles, I figured I would give it a go and return if the weather soured.

Note to self: Never, ever consider spending the night on the tundra if there's even the slightest risk of thunderstorms in the forecast!

The trip to the lake was very pleasant despite the endless switchbacks during the second half of the hike. The views back to the San Miguels towering over Trout Lake below were magnificent and I was looking forward to a great evening at my destination.


Trout Lake and the San Miguel Range

My enthusiam was dampened a bit when I got above treeline and clouds started rolling over the peaks in front of me, but at least they didn't seem of the threatening nature. I arrived at the lake and quickly dropped my pack to take a load off and enjoy the view. After a quick chat with another couple heading back down, I dug through my pack for my camera gear and began to wander around looking for compositions. Not long after that the first of the really dark clouds started to make their way over the craggy peaks in front of me and I heard the first distant rumble of thunder.


Hope Lake

"Aw Crap!" I uttered to myself (or something to that effect). I quickly ripped off a few shots and started coming to the realization that I was way too exposed to ride out a storm anywhere near the lake. I packed up and headed out of the cirque surrounding the lake only to find that the storm clouds had already filled in all the way down the valley. Just then the first crack of lightning (less than a mile away) jolted me into the realization that it was time to run! Down the muddy mountainside I went trying to move as fast as I could with a 40 lb pack and with full knowledge that I was carrying two aluminum lightning rods (my trekking poles). After another nearby lightning strike I quickly came to the conclusion that it would be crazy to try to reach the larger stands of pines below as they were just too far away. I was now in the vicinity of a few stunted 10ft pines and I made a beeline for those. Just before reaching them I felt my legs go from under me, resulting in what must have been a most ungainly looking seat drop into the mud. From there I basically slid down to my destination.

It was under this miniscule cover that I sat for the next hour waiting out more lightning, hail, heavy rains, etc. I was beginning to wonder if it would ever let up! Finally, I decided I could wait no more and (probably foolishly) made a final run towards the closest stand of mature pines below. Looking back, I can't believe I didn't sprain or break an ankle on the muddy, rocky terrain but I made it unscathed. I caught my breath there and waited for the storm to let up a little before finally forcing my jelloed and quivering legs to take me back down to my truck. This was definitely not my finest hour and on the way down I vowed to myself to give Mother Nature her due respect and never get caught in such a situation again!

First Solo Backpacking Outing

Well, I just returned from my first solo backpacking trip up in the San Juan Mountains the other day. When I first moved to this area almost two years ago, I figured that I would've done many of these by now. Unfortunately, physical ailments hounded me all last summer so I barely did any hiking at all. This trip was just a quick overnighter to a high alpine lake, Crater Lake, along the West Needles subrange of the San Juans.

While it was only a six mile journey to the lake, it turned out to be a bit more than I bargained for. This is still the spring season up in the high country and, while most of the snow has melted, everything is still very wet up there. What this translates to is muddy trails...miles and miles of muddy trails. It made for very slow going which was only exacerbated by the blowdown area I encountered about a mile from the lake. This consisted of a large section of downed pines (and I mean big pines) from a storm last winter and the swath of destruction was about a quarter to half mile wide. They obliterated the trail and forced me to navigate my own way through the mess and on to the lake as I wasn't able to relocate the trail once I got through it. Thank god for my GPS! That section wasn't fun at all with a balance interfering 40lb backpack strapped on.

The end result of my slow progress to the lake was that I arrived only a half hour before sunset and had no time to relax or eat before pulling out the camera gear. But what a sunset it turned out to be!


North Twilight Peak Reflected in Crater Lake at Sunset

I can certainly deal with a few hardships if I know it'll result in witnessing marvelous scenes like the one above.

After a rather sleepless night (I never sleep well when camping), I decided to pack up and leave shortly after my sunrise shoot as thunderstorms were predicted to be widespread by the late morning/early afternoon hours. My sunrise shoot, while beautiful, was very typical of most any Colorado high country sunrise scene....a nicely glowing mountain reflected in a high alpine lake under a clear morning sky.


Crater Lake at Sunrise

I was hoping for an interesting sky or more pronounced early morning mist/fog to set it apart a bit more, but it wasn't meant to be. After the previous night's sunset, I wasn't gonna complain! As it turned out, my earlier than planned departure turned out to be a wise choice as I was surrounded by threatening skies by the time I got back to the trailhead. It was a memorable first backpacking trip, that's for sure!

Spring Trip to the Northern San Juans

I had grand plans in early June to take a 5 day (or longer) trip to the northern region of the San Juan Mountains...more specifically to the San Miguel and Sneffels Ranges...but a busy schedule made me scale it back to just a quick two days. I guess two days are better than none! My first day in the San Miguels near Telluride was a soggy one (as has been the weather pattern in the southwest Colorado for weeks now) so I concentrated on shooting a few of the many waterfalls in the area.


Mystic Falls Near Telluride

Mystic Falls along the Lake Fork of the San Miguel River was the highlight of my adventures in this region. This seldom visited waterfall cuts through a 120 foot high and narrow gorge which reverberated the crashing waters to deafening levels. While access to the gorge isn't particularly easy, it was definitely worth the effort to photograph what is now my favorite waterfall in the San Juan Mountains. In addition to Mystic, I also visited both Bear Creek Falls and Cornet Falls. Both of these falls are easy hikes from trailheads eminating right in the town of Telluride.

As I made my way to the Sneffels Range, the wet weather finally started to break...


Rainbow Along The Sneffels Range

At last I could venture outside without need of my rain gear! The clearing storm allowed me to take advantage of some interesting atmospherics to compliment some of the locations that I've often shot during the autumn season. I was just trading golden autumn aspen for spring green.


Spring Aspen and Mt. Snefflels

I was also ecstatic to find a nice field of lupine that evening. While it was too windy to photograph them at the time, I came back during the calm of the following morning as they nicely accented the Sneffels Range backdrop. It definitely made me look forward to the high country wildflower season come late July!


Field of lupine and the Sneffels Range

Waterfallin' In The San Juan Mountains

I've spent a good portion of the month of May in and around the San Juan Mountains (my "home range" here in southwest Colorado) searching for and photographing the many waterfalls present in this region. The month of May has proven to be an excellent time for this endeavor for two reasons. First, the spring melt swells the rivers and creeks to incredible volumes, transforming existing waterfalls to thunderous levels and creating seasonal waterfalls not present at any other time of year.


Basin Creek Waterfall (left) and a seasonal waterfall (right) in the La Plata Mountains

Second, the weather in the last half of May brought the premature arrival of the monsoon season, bringing thunderstorms to the area most every afternoon/evening. These thunderstorms bring the cloud cover that is vital for successful waterfall photography. If you've ever tried to photograph waterfalls on a bright, sunny day you know what I mean as the water becomes so bright that it becomes impossible to record the entire range of light within the scene. This forces a photographer to either blow out the highlights of the water or lose the details around the waterfall to deep shadow. Neither is a desirable alternative. With cloud cover the range of light becomes much more manageable and can be easily be captured with today's digital or film cameras. The only other option for shooting waterfalls (if cloudy conditions aren't present) is to do so either early in the morning or late in the evening when the subject is in full shadow or whatever light is present is very weak.


Treasure Falls Near Wolf Creek Pass

Concerning my little project of waterfall photography in the San Juans, I've come away with a few observations. While there are countless waterfalls in this range, only a small percentage of them are actually worthy photographic subjects. Part of this is due to accessibility issues as many require significant bushwacks or climbs up steeply sloped mountainsides to reach. To me, a bigger issue is simply the non-photogenic nature of many of these falls. Deadfall and scraggly brush often line the banks above and below many waterfalls detracting greatly from their esthetic value. Many others carve out deep, tree-lined gorges that offer few vantage points unless you're a billy goat!


South Clear Creek Falls Near Creede, CO

Despite these challenges, I still enjoy searching out and photographing these marvels of nature. Even if the photography proves difficult, there's nothing more relaxing to me than the sound of rushing water. I can spend an entire afternoon doing nothing but listening. If I come away with a good photograph or two...that's icing on the cake!


Lime Creek Falls Near Coal Bank Pass

For a more complete collection of the San Juan waterfalls I've photographed, click on the link below...

Waterfalls of the San Juan Mountains

Short Trip To Moab, Utah

I recently returned from what's become my annual spring trip to the Moab, Utah area. I just love this area in the springtime even though the wildflowers can be very hit or miss. While this was definitely a down year, it hardly matters. There's plenty else to aim your camera at. The biggest disappointment with this trip was the lack of decent sunrises or sunsets. Mother Nature was pretty stingy with the light this time around.


Green River Overlook, Canyonlands

The notable places I visited this year included the Fisher Towers along the Colorado River Scenic Byway, Arches National Park (although poor light shut me out of any decent images), Longs Canyon, Mineral Bottom Canyon and a quick foray into Canyonland's Island in the Sky region. If you are ever in the vicinity, I highly recommend the 4.5 mile Fisher Tower hike. It's a fantastic walk with red rock spires towering all around you. For the best light, undertake the hike in the latter part of the day (which, unfortunately, I didn't). Just remember to bring plenty of water!


The Fisher Towers and La Sal Mountains

Click on the link below for more images from this trip.

Springtime In Moab Images

Prints Available At Two Galleries

I'm excited to announce that some of my work is now on display/sale at the Artisans of the Southwest Gallery in Pagosa Springs and the Durango Art Center's gallery shop. If you're ever in one of these fine southwestern Colorado towns, please stop by and have a look. Location information for each of these galleries can be found at their respective websites:


Artisans of the Southwest
Durango Art Center

In addition, I'll be having an artist's reception on Saturday, May 23 at Artisans of the Southwest from 4-6:30pm. I will be one of two artists who's work will be featured at the gallery for the month of June. Stop by if you'd like to chat, shop, and/or partake in the wine and hors de oeuvres!

Update - May 17, 2009: Here's the official promotional card for the artist's reception event this coming May 23rd. Click on the image to see a larger version.

New Imagery From Utah's Grand Staircase–Escalante NM

I recently finished updating my site with new images from Utah's Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument (and surrounding areas) from a recent trip taken from April 4 - 10. This monument is located in the southern part of the state and consists of 1.7 million acres (roughly the size of Delaware) of some of the most remote and beautiful country in the lower 48 states. The monument was designated in 1996 by the Clinton administration in a controversial move to bolster his election campaign. It takes in most of the area from Kanab and Bryce Canyon on the west to Lake Powell and Capitol Reef on the east. It does not represent any one particular feature, but rather a whole area of slickrock canyons, terraced cliffs and red rock landscapes.


Paria Badlands, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, UT

Photographing the monument is a time consuming venture as many of its more photographic features require traveling 4x4 roads and/or hiking and/or canyoneering to see. Thus, in the week I spent there, I only scratched the surface in my attempts to record its beauty. Many return trips will be required to really do the place justice.

I did this trip via a giant circle route which took me from Bayfield, CO to Page, AZ before heading up to Utah and concentrating on the areas surrounding the towns of Escalante and Boulder. I returned home by passing through Capitol Reef National Park and the Moab area (not photographing either of these places as they are best kept for future trips in themselves).

I was blessed with favorable weather, for the most part. The infamous wind storms of spring were held at bay for all but one day (more on that later). The major photographic locations I visited included the Wire Pass/Buckskin Gulch area, the Paria Badlands, the Cottonwood Canyon area, many locations along the Hole-In-The-Rock road (outside Escalante), Upper/Lower Calf Creek Falls, and Longs Canyon (outside Boulder).


Metate Arch, Devil's Garden near Escalante

One of the main goals I hoped to accomplish on this trip was to photograph a few of the many slot canyons found within reasonable hiking distances from the Hole-In-The-Rock road. The big three were the Peekaboo, Spooky and Zebra slots. Of these three, Zebra slot intrigued me the most as its narrow main section consists of wonderfully striated walls unlike anything I've seen in other slot canyons. Of course, of the three, it can be the hardest to reach as my research revealed that there could often be a chest deep pool blocking its entrance. Upon reaching the entrance to canyon (an easy 3.5 mile walk down a sandy wash), I was tickled pink to find out that recent wind storms had buried this pool in mounds of sand. Woo Hoo! The down side was that a new wind storm was starting to rev up. Winds were whipping sand through both the entrance of the canyon and from the top covering everything. There was to be no lens changing on this shoot! I hung around for almost an hour waiting for the sun angle to create an optimal glow with the narrow, but not overly high canyon walls and ventured back to my backpack near the entrance to pack up and leave. I was barely able to find it! It was just a lump under a pile of sand by this point. I dug it out, packed up, and headed out of the entrance to find a full fledged sand storm in progress. The easy 3.5 walk in the wash turned into a nightmare as it was straight into the wind and required countless stops so I could brace myself against the highest gusts which were trying to sandblast me into oblivion! By the time I got back to my truck, I was so exhausted that I drove back to Escalante, checked into a hotel, showered, and crashed for a good part of the afternoon. It was worth it to see such a marvel of nature though!


Zebra Slot Canyon

Click on the link below to see more of the images I returned with from this trip.

Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

New Canon 5D Mark II Arrives!

I took receipt of my new 5D Mark II on March 11 and couldn't wait to play with my new toy! After performing an initial sanity test at home (to make sure nothing was obviously wrong with the camera), I put it through its paces on a day trip to the Bisti Badlands in northern New Mexico. My initial impressions were quite positive. I love the big, new LCD screen and also the functionality of the live view feature for situations that allow me to really take my time to set up a shot. And man...the file sizes generated by this puppy are huge! Fortunately, my PC has enough horsepower to process them without much noticeable difference from my old 5D files. I can see needing to add another hard drive in the near future though!



The image quality of the files produced by this camera is nothing short of outstanding...at least with my newly calibrated Canon 24-70 and 70-300 lenses. The 17-40 suffers a bit, but I knew that would be the case so it's no surprise. Someday, I wish Canon would refresh the design on that lens so it could match the resolving power of the new high megapixel cameras they're producing...even if it means they have to raise the price a bit. I ain't holding my breath that it'll happen too soon though! I hope to post more insights into the camera once I've used it more.

Exploring Northern Arizona

Well, the Arizona Cardinals made their first ever Super Bowl appearance this year so I decided a trip to the Grand Canyon state was in order to experience the game within their borders. Ok...that wasn't the real reason for this trip, but it sounds good! This trip actually came about when I received a phone call from fellow photographer, Jim Talaric. Jim had a spare permit for the Wave in North Coyote Buttes and was wondering if I wanted to join him along with fellow photogs Bret Edge and Rod Hanna. Not too look a gift horse in the mouth, I jumped at the opportunity.


Rod Venturing Through The Wave, North Coyote Buttes

We all met up in Page a couple days before our permit date for North Coyote Buttes in order to shoot other subjects in the vicinity. I have been to the Page area a few times now and never tire of the photographic diversity present there. From world class slot canyons, fantastic hoodoo formations, enormous canyons formed by the Colorado River, to the controversial Lake Powell...this area has photographic features which can keep you shooting all day. I was especially pleased when we all came to the agreement to do an overnight stay at the White Pocket in the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. I've wanted to see this area for a while now and just hadn't found the time to make it out there. While this remote sandstone fantasyland is one of the most popular must-see locations for photographers in the Desert Southwest, it requires good navigational skills and a 4x4 vehicle to reach.


Sandstone Formations at the White Pocket

Having Jim as our "tour guide", so to speak, made reaching this area a no-brainer. Not only had he been there several times, his wealth of maps and techo-gadgets made finding our way a breeze. I was a bit concerned about the sandy aspect of the route - I'm not too experienced with driving in deep sand - but those fears were unfounded as we got there without a problem. After that it was time to enjoy (and photograph) the scenery! The overnight camp out got a bit chilly (as the temp bottomed out at 20 degrees F), but it was definitely worth it to be immersed in such a beautiful setting for both sunset and sunrise.

After shooting sunrise at White Pocket, we made our way back to the trailhead for the Wave hike in North Coyote Buttes. I had visited the Wave area on one other occasion, but only had time to spend the morning and early afternoon. This time I wanted to stay until late in the day to photograph the area in a different light. It would also give me the opportunity to photograph a formation often called the Second Wave, which is best shot late in the day.


The Second Wave - North Coyote Buttes

All in all, it was a fantastic day until what I'll dub as a “misunderstanding” occurred between myself and the ballhead clamp on my tripod. The end result of this “misunderstanding” was a four foot fall of my camera (Canon 5D) and lens (Canon 24-70 f/2.8) to the hard slickrock, after which the combination refused to focus (even manually). The duo are on their way to Canon for emergency surgery. Fortunately, this happened at the end of the day and I had my 50D along as a backup for the last day of the trip which was primarily spent at Lower Antelope Canyon just outside of Page.

More Northern Arizona Images

Record December Snow Pounds The San Juans

Wow! December has brought some amazing snowfall to the San Juan Mountains here in southwest Colorado. Over 9 feet fell on many of the mountain passes over a two week span, with the final storm pounding the region on Christmas day. Talk about throwing a monkey wrench into holiday traveling plans!


Grand Turk Mountain Near Silverton, CO

The snowy December was both a curse and blessing for me as it forced the cancellation of my much anticipated trip to Bosque del Apache, but it did afford many opportunities to photograph the local mountain scenery and the people who love to play in it. In particular, I spent a large amount of time in the Molas Pass area. This area, just south of Silverton, is one of the more popular recreation areas in the San Juans. It particularly attracts snowmobilers, cross country skiers and snowshoers. This is due, in large part, to the fact that it's essentially an expansive high alpine meadow which is BLM-owned public land and is relatively free of the avalanche issues found elsewhere. The fact that it is surrounded on all sides by snowy, majestic peaks only adds to its allure.


High Flying Snowmobiler, Molas Pass

To get a visual taste for what its like to spend a snowy winter in the San Juans, click on the link below.

Winter In The San Juan Mountains