Jesse, are these the Buffalo peaks between Buena Vista and Fairplay? If so, I had quite an adventure there last year (ran into a herd of about 100 elk while backpacking under the moonlight in the middle of the night).
Thanks everyone!! Scott, yeah, it's those peaks. That had to be quite an enjoyable experience ? the elk encounter. You wouldn't believe how many stories I've heard about wildlife encounters there. Most recent was a ranger who was stalked by a FEW mountain lions during an overnight.
Rick, here's the color version. I love both, but the b/w really seemed to enhance the isolation of the summits just that much more.
No, I didn't get anything half this good at the Dunes, Todd ... at least not with this amazing transitional weather. The light display at the Dunes was good but not spectacular, including a fizzled out sunset. Great dune hiking though. I was only there for a quick overnight. In fact, I could have turned around after shooting the Buffalo peaks, drove right home and called it a great weekend. What a moment. It was very rewarding, as I stood on the side of 24 for about a half hour waiting for this to happen.
Tony, the dunes were looking very good. It's particularly dry there right now, so the patchy look of winter is gone ... but so is Medano Creek. You had to drive up the 4WD road just to see water. The textures in the dunes were some of the best I've encountered. There was barely any snow left on the Sangres ... just enough to add some definition to the summits. That can change any day though, with these spring storms that have been rumbling through the region.
Thanks again. I'll post another as I process these RAWs.
Yes, Jesse, it was a memorable trip (everything about it). I pinched a nerve in my back that night and lay awake, staring at the top of my tent. At about 4am I heard noises nearby (I was camping at the lake and the elk were moving upstream to the lake). Suddenly I heard a loud bugle right outside of my tent. I nearly jumped out of my bag. Congrats on the wonderful image (I should have said this before asking questions). I'm planning a few out of the ordinary high altitude adventures in this area during the next month if you're interested. I spend every other weekend in Fairplay, so I am familiar with the area. I was in Fairplay this weekend and saw that same fog/cloud wall. This is typical weather for this area.
Discussion
11 repliesHere's a pic from my trip to the Sand Dunes (one of the first processed) - a shot of the Buffalo Peaks taken along the drive down.
What were conditions like at the dunes? I'm heading down there this weekend.
That's gorgeous! Absolutely fantastic image Jesse!
Rick, here's the color version. I love both, but the b/w really seemed to enhance the isolation of the summits just that much more.
No, I didn't get anything half this good at the Dunes, Todd ... at least not with this amazing transitional weather. The light display at the Dunes was good but not spectacular, including a fizzled out sunset. Great dune hiking though. I was only there for a quick overnight. In fact, I could have turned around after shooting the Buffalo peaks, drove right home and called it a great weekend. What a moment. It was very rewarding, as I stood on the side of 24 for about a half hour waiting for this to happen.
Tony, the dunes were looking very good. It's particularly dry there right now, so the patchy look of winter is gone ... but so is Medano Creek. You had to drive up the 4WD road just to see water. The textures in the dunes were some of the best I've encountered. There was barely any snow left on the Sangres ... just enough to add some definition to the summits. That can change any day though, with these spring storms that have been rumbling through the region.
Thanks again. I'll post another as I process these RAWs.
I'm late to the party, but wanted to jump in to say that both images are AWEsome!
Great work,
Dave Showalter