Even in a September when I end up staying close to home, it ended up being one of my favorite months of the year. Between foliage (early this year) cool mornings and comfortable afternoons, it’s my favorite time of year. It’s only fitting then that the work I produced this year in September is similarly good.
Week One
The month started off on a high note. Sophie and I went for a sunset hike one evening after work, and while it did end up raining on us it was a light drizzle and we got to see several rainbows. The sky that night was spectacular and I’m really proud of quite a good chunk of the work.
That same week, I surprised Sophie with having one of her best friends come out to visit us. While her and her husband were here, we did a few sunset and sunrise hikes. This first one was from sunset near Mt. Zion.
The next day we took them on one of our favorite hikes in the area, hiking Silver Dollar lake near Guanella pass (where I’d end up spending quite a bit of time over the next month).
The next day we wanted to stay more local. We went to the Denver Botanical Gardens and saw these koi fish. I quite liked the contrast of the bright fish against the black of the dyed lake they found themselves swimming around in.
Week Two
The next weekend Sophie and I did a long hike, it was divine! We hiked ~10 miles on the Abyss Lake trail. We ended up turning back early as Sophie had hurt her leg earlier that week at the gym, however the hike we did was spectacular.
I’m particularly proud of this image – I think it’s a surprisingly good image given the messy nature of the woodland (something I often struggle to photograph without fog). The crossed collapsed trees work as a great framing element for the lodge pole pine on the left third of frame.
After making it out of the pine grove and crossing this river, we reached the star of the trail, the Aspen groves.
This would be where I got the quintessential Aspen shot. A wonderfully textured forest floor with a sun-star bursting through from the rising sun. I’m continually shocked by the capabilities of my Nikon Z8. It’s quickly becoming my go to camera on my shoots around town.
After hiking through the Aspen grove for another thirty minutes or so we found ourselves crossing the river again and it was high time for some water and a snack break.
After deliberating how much Sophie’s leg could handle we decided to go further than we thought we would walking up towards a viewpoint overlooking the valley we’d hiked up.
By that point the best of the day’s light had gone and we enjoyed the view before heading back down towards the car.
When we got back to the lot it was both overwhelmingly busy and a storm was brewing. It actually slowly started raining on us harder and harder as we approached the car and we could hear the thunderstorms rolling in.
We drove up the pass and over towards Georgetown (past where we’d been a week prior). The views from the summit were stunning and inspired where we’d be going just one week later. Once we reached Georgetown, we wound up snagging lunch at 511 Rose, the service was great and our food was good.
Week Three
This morning was nuts. I drove up a nearby pass which was a ~5 mile (ish) dirt road to reach the summit and it was breathtaking up there. It was cold (as you can see in the frost below) but I was energized. I could tell that if the clouds you can see below held roughly where they were in the sky we’d be in for a treat, some absolutely breathtaking conditions.
As I walked towards a field to watch the sunrise, I was watching the clouds when I noticed a large bulk off in the distance and I instantly recognized it for what it was – a bull moose. The creature was monstrous – and looked right at me before turning around and walking back down into the valley.
After that moment – the conditions I was hoping for manifested.
Between rain and far off thunderstorms – this morning had the makings of either a dud or an incredibly awe-inspiring sunrise. It gave me the latter. The three peaks in the distance worked together catching the light and leading my eye through the scene. It was truly something unbelievable to get to witness.
After that it was time to head back down, when I got an image that’s less marketable (because it’s my car) however is just as loved by myself. I adore the moody tones the Nikon was able to produce, and the rain filled potholes work as a great addition of mood in the scene. At this point the rain had come back and was drizzling softly as I drove down towards the aspen grove I’d be hiking in that day.
I parked far away and took my time on the walk over – just enjoying the beautiful conditions of the forest at that time of year.
This image ended up being one of my favorite from this fall! The square crop works really well for it – and I like the depth in the scene that I was able to capture using a short telephoto lens in such tight conditions.
The next day, Sophie and I drove to the summit of Guanella for sunrise, and what we hoped to be some hiking afterwards. The hiking didn’t pan out because the spots were all taken by the time we drove down – however we managed to stop on a pull-off and explore the rivers through the pass.
The start of the day was wonderful though, I love the shrubbery in this scene, and the way only one shrub still remains green – the rest varying shades of post-peak and prepping for winter.
The light that morning was lovely – with the distant peaks illuminated and the clouds catching the light of the rising sun nicely.
Later as I mentioned – we made our way down into the river, where I got this scene. I love the framing of it – and the complimentary tones of the tree and the river rushing fast below.
Summary
September was wonderful. I didn’t get to go too far away from home on my quest to explore Colorado, but that’s okay. I still got plenty of beauty to capture and document nearby. I hope the rest of this fall and winter brings lots of snow fall – our state desperately needs it.
As always, I’ve been CHNO, and I will see you in the next month’s post. I can tell you already that October has produced great results from just the first weekend!