Morning alpenglow lights up the Ship's Prow, which is reflected in the near perfectly still waters of Chasm Lake, in Rocky Mountain National Park. The Ship's Prow is an iconic piece of granite that separates the east face of Longs Peak from the north face of Mount Meeker, and is at an elevation of just under 12000 feet. To get here for sunrise, we started hiking at 3:00a. The light of the full moon made for a memorable hike.
Tags: Ship's Prow Longs Peak Rocky Mountains Rocky Mountain National Park alpenglow alpine alpine tarn alpine lake Chasm Lake sunrise dawn mountains Colorado Colorado Rockies Front Range reflections golden hour golden light
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Sunrise alpenglow paints the face of the iconic Ship's Prow a mesmerizing orange, and is reflected on the still surface of Chasm Lake (3,598 m; 11,803 ft), Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
The trail to Chasm Lake begins at the Longs Peak Campground, and climbs a little over 730 m (2,400 ft) over a distance of 6.75 km (4.2 miles) to reach the vista you see here. To arrive at the lake before sunrise in late July, it was necessary to begin hiking at 3:00 in the morning, though on this particular day the full moon was so bright that headlamps were not required as we ascended. We reached the shoreline just after 5:00, and at least to my eyes, there was a considerable amount of unexpected activity over the water. Large moths were blundering about everywhere, slapping into the surface of the water at random moments, and these juicy aeronauts were hotly pursued by some very skilled bats.
The lake itself fills a deep cirque carved from Mount Meeker to the south, Longs Peak to the west, and Mount Lady Washington to the north. On the western end of the lake, The Diamond rises approximately 760 m (2,500 ft.) straight up to the summit of Longs Peak (4,346 m; 14,259 ft). The Park Service first opened The Diamond to climbers in 1960, and the easiest route up is 5.10a trad, at an altitude where climbing a vertical face of granite is relatively hard work. As we watched the sun work its magic, two climbers trudged past en route to the face, and I was quite content to let them pass and simply take in what the morning had to offer.
Explored 2017-04-09
Tags: Chasm Lake Colorado Colorado Rockies Landscape National Park Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountains Ship's Prow Southern Rockies The Ship's Prow U.S. National Park alpenglow alpine dawn high elevation magic hour morning mountains reflection sunrise water
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"The mountain photographer is interpreting the face of nature - that mysterious infinity, eternally a refuge, a reservoir, an amplifier of spirit; a mother of dreams; a positive though elusive voice in whose depth lies its subtlety."
-- Cedric Wright, 1941
I do not claim to be a "mountain photographer" per se, though I had looked forward to this particular morning at this particular place for many a year, always putting it off, never capitalizing on the idea. Recently I was corresponding with a Flickr contact whose work and sense of adventure I admire, and she was interested in places to visit near Denver / Boulder. I suggested this view might be worth the effort, and ended up joining her, a friend of hers, and a friend of mine for a full-moon hike up into the mountains to witness sunrise. Here, the Diamond, the 2400 ft. east-facing wall of granite below the summit of Longs Peak (14259 ft.), is lit up by alpenglow and reflected in the perfectly still water of Chasm Lake (11823 ft.). It was a magical morning.
On a historical note, the first summiting of Longs Peak was by the famous one-armed Civil War veteran himself, John Wesley Powell.
Explored 2015-08-04
Tags: alpenglow alpine alpine tarn alpine lake lake Chasm Lake reflections morning morning light dawn sunrise The Diamond Longs Peak National Parks National Park U.S. National Parks Rocky Mountains Rocky Mountain National Park high elevation Colorado
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The first time I attempted to photograph Coot Lake at sunrise, I was unfortunate enough to time my visit on the same day as a triathlon, the route of which passed right by the lake, prompting the police to close the parking lot. Even at 5:45a? Yes, weirdly enough. This time, I at least made it out there to watch the sun rise. Geese were flying out, and while I got some in a few frames, I wasn't lucky enough to have them fly by when the camera was on the tripod. Boulder's Flatirons can be seen at the left in the distance.
Tags: sunrise dawn morning morning light reflections Coot Lake Boulder Boulder Open Space Boulder County Colorado reeds clouds Flatirons mountains Rocky Mountains Colorado Rockies lake
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As the first rays of the sun light up the Flatirons with alpenglow, the full Hunter's Moon descends toward the western horizon. Toward the far right, a bank of thick cloud creeps over the Continental Divide, bringing a bit of snowfall to the Indian Peaks. The town of Boulder wakes up below, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research is seen perched at the top of Table Mesa. I'm a bit unclear why the early settlers didn't pick up on the fact that Mesa already means "Table."
Tags: moon moonset full moon Hunter's Moon sunrise dawn alpenglow Flatirons National Center for Atmospheric Research clouds mountains Bear Peak Green Mountain Boulder Boulder County Colorado Rocky Mountains october autumn
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