I was headed south out of Boulder recently and was awestruck by the dramatic clouds blowing through Eldorado Canyon. It was spitting rain and the frigid wind was howling, kicking up all kinds of sand and debris along with it. I was able to hunker down with my camera for just long enough to get this shot!

Also, I’ve installed a new plugin that should allow you to click on the photo for a larger version.

I just returned from an awesome trip to Moab and brought back some great photos.  Here is one of my favorites:

Castleton Tower

Castleton Tower is one of the most popular desert towers and has a number of classic routes to the summit, including the Kor-Ingalls which is visible above.  The Kor-Ingalls route follows the wide crack system up the southeast side of the tower.  Like many climbers, it was one of my first tower routes and an unforgettable day.

The Flatirons from Chatauqua Meadow

 It’s looking to be a very cold New Year’s Eve here in Boulder.  Stay warm and see you next year!

Kiowa Peak as seen from the summit of Niwot Mountain.

On Christmas morning my good friend Dan joined me for a dawn patrol hike to the top of Niwot Mountain.  After a 5am start from the new winter parking lot and some arduous postholing through the trees we were rewarded with a marvelous view of the divide on one of the most peaceful mornings I have ever beheld in the Indian Peaks. 

Kiowa Peak is a stunning 13,276 ft summit in the forbidden kingdom that is the Silver Lake Watershed.  The area between North Arapaho Peak and Niwot Ridge supplies 40 percent of Boulder’s water supply  has been closed to public access since the 1920s following a cholera outbreak.

The Cynical Pinnacle is a granite spire in the South Platte region of Colorado.  Colorado climbing just doesn’t much better than the clean, steep, and sunny south facing granite found here.  It is also a very photogenic monolith and I went down to scout out possible compositions.  As the winter sun dipped below the horizon, the last warm rays of light reflected off clouds in the western sky and cast a pink glow across the landscape.

Winter is arriving in Rocky Mountain National Park with a fresh dusting of snow above treeline .  The elk rut may be cooling down but the best days of fall color are yet to come!  This photo of Ypsilon Mountain was taken from a lookout near Many Parks Curve on Trail Ridge Road using a telephoto lens.

Ypsilon is 13,514 feet in elevation and ranks as one of the highest peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park.  It’s east face features a prominent Y-shaped couloir that is a very popular snow climb and the popular and exposed Blitzen Ridge route follows the skyline on the right.

Great views of Ypsilon Mountain can be had throughout the park, but some of my favorites are from Horseshoe Meadows, Deer Ridge, and at various points on Trail Ridge Road.

Bruce Percy is a Scottish photographer whose work I really admire.  I am a regular reader of his blog and he is an advocate of the concept that “less is more”.  It is this minimalist style that I had in mind as I waited for the twilight wedge to appear over Long Lake tonight. I think this simple composition successfully communicates the serenity of the lake at dusk after the day hikers have packed up and headed home.   The colors reflecting in the still water became more and more vivid until the peaceful scene was interupted by an advancing bull moose in rut and I made a prompt evacuation from the area.

Longs Peak from The Rock Cut
Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Since I missed out on the evening photography session at the Rock Cut during the Glenn Randall workshop last week, I decided to head up there tonight.  Just as we thought we were going to be treated to an exceptional sunset the sun disappeared behind a cloud and the sky went gray.  Regardless, there aren’t really any bad sunsets in a place as amazing as Rocky Mountain National Park and it is always refreshing just to spend time above treeline.

This is was my first attempt to photograph Longs Peak from the Rock Cut on Trail Ridge Road.  It is a very popular vista and it is easy to see why with great views of Longs and Forrest Canyon.  The Rock Cut is at an elevation of 12,210 ft and was blasted out with explosives to allow Trail Ridge Road to pass.

Morning light reflects on the rippling water of Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.