Mount Evans, September 2013

Felt the itch to get some pictures today, but didn't want to go for a long hike and spend the whole day away from the family. A little clicking around the interwebz reminded me that I hadn't been up Mount Evans in years.  And it was close enough to home that I could go, shoot and be back before lunch.

Of course, the more I thought about it the more I realized that I really wanted to be there for sunset.  Which meant a 4:30 alarm.  Ah, well.  No plan is perfect.

You know what I didn't consider?  That it's really cold at 13,000 feet above sea level before sunrise in late September.  And windy.  But it was still beautiful at Summit Lake Park.

The moon was reflecting enough light to illuminate the lake well before the sun came up.  Views like this are what make those early alarms worthwhile.

I wished the moon was a little lower in the sky to make a tighter scene.  But I was still able to get it in a shot.

I'm developing a real appreciation for shooting before sunrise, and the beauty in the muted colors.  That's unfortunately probably going to mean even earlier mornings.

Alpenglow makes me happy, too.

While I hadn't planned on doing any hiking, the quarter-mile trail to the Chicago Lakes Overlook wasn't too much to take on.  It was neat to look down at where Zak and I hiked a couple of summers ago.

Driving back down Mount Evans Road, I was impressed by the huge expanses of fairly barren landscape above treeline.

Lincoln Lake is one of the sources for Bear Creek, along with Summit Lake.  It's always interesting to me to see how the various bodies of water along the Front Range interconnect.

Echo Lake, where breakfast awaited at the Echo Lake Lodge.  Nice to see patches of turning aspens starting to pop up throughout the landscape.  Could be out shooting foliage as soon as next weekend!

I don't shoot dead wood as often as I used to.  But the patterns in this bristlecone pine were too good to pass up.

The only folks who possibly had a better plan for the morning than I did were the fishermen at Echo Lake.  While I was only coming home with pictures, they were enjoying the same scenery and had a chance to come home with a meal.  Well played, gentlemen.

I finished up at Echo Lake right when the lodge opened for breakfast at 9 a.m., enjoyed a hearty plate of eggs with biscuits & gravy and returned home.  Oh, and I paid the $5 entrance fee for using the road on my way out since nobody was manning the booth at 6 a.m. when I went in.  A small price to pay for a great morning!