Snodgrass Mountain, July 2015: Part I

On our last full day in Crested Butte I wanted to get in one last photo hike. But Black Canyon the day before had pretty well wiped me out. So I wasn't up for anything too intense. Enter Snodgrass Mountain!

Promoted as an out-and-back with great wildflowers and views of Mt. Crested Butte, I figured I could get the type of shots I was looking for and simply turn around when I lost interest or energy.  Things got off to a solid start with a trail ride adding some interest to an already solid view of Red Lady.

You often have to get out in the wilderness to see good ruins.  These remnants of an old cabin are just a couple hundred yards away from a Porta Potty.

Lighting conditions were perfect -- lots of fluffy clouds but also lots of breaks for abundant sunshine to stream through.  Getting the right light on both foreground and background sometimes required waiting a bit, but doing so was always well worth it.

Another trail ride conveniently came down the trail to liven up yet another scene.  The leader advised me to move a bit further off the trail so as not to make her horse nervous, which I quickly did.  Unfortunately, I didn't notice that I stepped right in a massive anthill in the process.  At least, I didn't notice until some time had passed and the little buggers started biting me in places I'd rather not be bitten.

A fortuitous spot an aspen grove -- this Pale Swallowtail enjoying the warm morning.

I had such good light and was in such close proximity that I followed the butterfly from one plant to another, growing even happier with this shot than the previous one.

I thought I had a good view to the northeast, with a composition nicely divided into vertical thirds.  But this shot leaves me a little blah.  Some more wildflower blossoms in the lower left would probably have punched it up nicely.

Common plants end up with a lot of common names. Ligusticum porteri is known as Loveroot, Lovage, Porter’s Lovage, Porter’s Ligusticum, Osha, Chuchupate, Licorice Root, and Wild Parsley.

Click here for Part II.