Chasing the light across the Rockies.
A working notebook of trips through Colorado - dawn starts on alpine lakes, scenic passes turning gold with aspen, and long hikes above treeline. New frames and trip notes, published as I get back down the mountain.
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The gallery
New photographs from the latest trip land here Friday. Each slot below is the home for a frame.
Maroon Bells at dawn
Aspens turning gold
Switchbacks
Alpine lake, still
First snow on the peaks
Wildflower basin
The road to Telluride
Bristlecone pines
The journal
Where I went, when the light was good, and the routes worth the early alarm.
Driving Independence Pass before the snow closes it
The highest paved pass in Colorado shuts the moment winter arrives, so I ran it one last time at first light. Switchbacks above treeline, frost on the tundra, and not another car for an hour.
Timing the aspens on Kebler Pass
Peak gold lasts about ten days, and it never lands on the weekend you booked. Here is how I read the elevation lines to chase the color up the mountain as it turns.
A dawn hike to Chasm Lake under Longs Peak
Four miles in the dark to sit beside an alpine lake while the sun lit the Diamond. The water was glass, the wind held off, and the photographs almost felt like a bonus.
A truck, a trailhead, and an alarm before dawn.
Above Treeline is a Colorado travel photography project built around long drives and longer hikes. The work follows the Rockies through the seasons - alpine lakes at first light, aspen groves turning gold, and the scenic passes that string them together. This site is where new pictures and trip notes land first.
For prints, trip suggestions, or just to say hello, the inbox is open.