Palmer Reservoirs, February 2024

Snow was forecast for this past Friday night, with partly cloudy conditions at sunrise giving way to mostly sunny skies.  That meant a winter hike was in order, and the La Deux Reservoirs to Ice Cave Creek and Swank Trails Loop -- while a mouthful -- was my choice.  So I woke up dark and early Saturday morning and made the 30-minute drive to Palmer Lake.

Fourth time getting up to shoot a sunrise so far in 2024, and fourth time not getting the color I hoped for in the sky.  I did get some frigid temperatures though -- seven degrees when I hit the trailhead at 6:30 -- so I had that going for me.

The scenery was absolutely what I'd hoped for -- rock formations and evergreens all covered in a fresh blanket of snow.

After my third time stopping to take a picture in the first half mile or so, which involved taking off my glove shells but not the liners to manipulate the buttons -- my hands were freezing.  Like, so-cold-I-wanted-to-vomit freezing.  I actually started back to my car, thinking it just wasn't my morning.  But the wave of nausea passed and I reconsidered.

I was closer to the first reservoir than I had realized, which I did stop to shoot.  But then I just put my head down and pushed past the second reservoir to the Swank Trail.

By now the sun had come up, temperatures had risen, and my mood had improved.

I was glad I'd also brought along my D750 with its 400m zoom lens to get some more intimate scenes.

Still a sucker for individual trees, especially tiny ones.

The sun was low enough in the sky that while the landscape was well lit, I could still catch bursts behind tree trunks.

Conditions were perfect, and I saw only one other hiker on the loop.  So I could stop and shoot at my leisure, while the AllTrails app kept me on course.

Even as the morning wore on, temperatures remained cold enough that the snow seemed in no hurry to melt off the trees.

Sundance Canyon was an absolute joy as I started heading back towards the first reservoir.

I couldn't quite figure out how three-quarters of the way into the hike it seemed I was still trending upward in elevation.  Whatever the reason, it did result in stunning views to the east.

I would stop at a vista, say "Wow" under my breath, set up my tripod and shoot, then repeat the process about 10 steps later.

I got to play one of my favorite games more than once -- Portrait...

...or Landscape?  I personally lean Landscape on this one.

This was an obvious portrait orientation to me, with the three tall trees in the mid-ground.

Round Two!  Landscape...

...or Portrait?  Probably Portrait for me this time.

A final snap of snow-covered branches, and a MUCH more enjoyable return to the trailhead than my initial departure had been.

Unsurprisingly, I set no speed records on this hike.  Almost exactly five miles in almost exactly four hours.  Elevation gain of 913 feet and 658 calories burned, which earned my a hearty breakfast at the Speedtrap in town (a recommendation from that other hiker I saw).

After overcoming that touch of adversity at the start, this turned into one of my favorite winter hikes ever.  I want to bring Danelle to Palmer Lake sometime in the summer, and come back to this exact trail sometime in the fall to see the foliage!