November Arrives

On Halloween, I studies the weather maps and decided there was a good chance for a terrific sunrise the next morning. So, after a few hours of sleep, I drove three hours to arrive at Estes Park and the Bear Lake Trail head. I met up with a photographer friend, Kane Englebert, and we hit the trail a couple hours before sunrise. THe last time Kane and I hiked this trail, it was raining and sleeting and despite a brief break at sunrise, the peaks never really lit up. This time, the weather cooperated and we ended up with a beautiful sunrise from Two Rivers Lake, a small lake that is off-trail. Kane used his GPS to give us a short trip off the trail to reach the half-frozen lake shore. The colors were already starting to blossom when we reached the lake, and I couldn’t resist taking one shot of the brilliant colors to the east!

Then, I slipped along the ice on the shoreline in search of a good angle on the lake and distant peaks. The wind was really starting to pick up and it was biting cold; between the wind and the ice it was tricky finding a steady spot to place my tripod. But persistence paid off and I came away with a couple of my favorite shots from one of the premiere spots in Colorado.