Colorado in October

I am so very behind on sharing things here. My old computer was struggling to edit photographs and share them as well. It was a pain to do and so I just avoided it. But, I recently purchased a beautiful new laptop, one that is powerful and fast, and so I am getting back on track with all my images finally.

In October, Scott and I went to Colorado to hear one of our climbing idols speak. We also made some time for climbing and camping in the mountains. It was a quick trip, but we had wonderful weather and were able to see some beautiful things.

Our first day was spent climbing in the Clear Creak Canyon, near Golden, Colorado. It was a stunning area, maybe even one of my favorites that we have climbed in. That night we camped in Guanella Pass, which is just past Georgetown, Colorado. We were the only ones camping out there (that we saw), and were able to find a stunningly beautiful and quite campsite in the subalpine forest. Our campsite was around 11,000 feet in elevation, which I felt the effects of when we woke up the next morning. There was snow on the ground, and the creek near by had lots of ice formed over it. It was a cold night for camping, but one of the most memorable ones for me.

 

The next day we woke up and tried to keep warm with tea and eggs and sausage. We had plans to try to hike Mt. Bierstadt (a 14,000 foot peak just up the pass) but when we woke up I was feeling the effects of the elevation (loss of appetite, headache), and we decided we just didn’t have the time or the provisions to do so. We ended up driving to the parking lot for the trail to the peak and explored some of the shorter trails from the same parking lot. After taking some photographs we went back to pack up our campsite, and I wandered around shooting some more in the frosty, late-morning light.

Scott, excited about being in the alpine air. Mt. Bierstadt is behind him.

Scott grabbed this one of me; I think it sums up my personality pretty well 🙂

The double exposure series of my feet continues.

364/366 – Winter Wonderland

*Wednesday, January 30

We finally got some snow in Manhattan on Wednesday. This was out my studio window, show with my phone before class that morning.

348/366 – Sit

*Wednesday, January 9

Wednesday I had originally planned on heading back to Kansas, but then it was supposed to almost hit 60 degrees and I couldn’t resist staying. We took a long walk with the twins, with stops for caramel apples and popcorn along the way.

347/366 – Waterfalls

*Tuesday, January 8
Tuesday my sister-in-law and I went on some short hikes to a couple of waterfalls in the canyon so I could get some pictures. The sun poked out at the last-minute, giving me some stunning light on the cliffs. I definitely want to go back to this place and take some longer exposures (and proper ones, on a tripod). And I would like to make it my goal to make it to both waterfalls in every season, and shoot them in the same spot. Hopefully I can make it happen sooner than later.

347/366 – Bridal Veil Falls

*Monday, January 7

Monday morning my brother and I got up and went for a quick (relatively speaking) climb up Bridal Veil Falls. It was a bit easier than the ice climb on Sunday, so a bit more fun for me. It was quite the different situation than the day before though. This time my brother was belaying from the top, and when I got up there we were able to hike up the frozen stream bed for a while. It was absolutely beautiful up there, and I find myself already missing the canyon. I also got to clean an anchor and rappel for the first time after we were done, which was exciting (though admittedly slightly nerve-wracking at first). Again, this day calls for multiple photographs, so I hope you enjoy!

I thought I would share another of me in action.

The view right at the top of the falls.

And last but not least, my favorite shot from the day after rappelling down.

345/366 – Climbing

*Sunday, January 6

Sunday was an awesome day, and so it calls for multiple pictures. My brother, his friend and I got up early and headed to one of the ice climbing spots in Spearfish Canyon. It was my first time ice climbing, but I am hooked (unfortunately I live nowhere near a place to ice climb). After we all had a chance to get on the ice we packed up and went rock climbing just up the canyon a bit. It definitely reignited my desire to climb again. My school just finished a climbing wall in the rec center, so I plan on checking it out as soon as it is open.

Not taken by me (obviously), but I thought I would share one of me ice climbing.

My brother leading the climb.

 

344/366 – Wind

*Saturday, January 5

Saturday I morning I packed up my car and headed out to my brother’s house on the far side of South Dakota. It was incredibly windy, making driving in some parts quite difficult. It was such a bizarre sensation driving through these patches of blowing snow; it felt like I was floating on top of a cloud.

342/366 – Railroad Ties

I drive past this stack of railroad ties almost daily and have wanted to photograph them since I got home before Christmas. Since I don’t have many more days in Minnesota I knew I needed to get out there soon, and the snow this morning was just the push I needed.

338/366 – Barn

I went out on a short walk with my brother this afternoon to scout out self-portrait locations. Hopefully I can brave the cold and get a few shot before I head back to school.

335/366 – Shadows

I love my parents’ backyard. And I am constantly in awe of all the colors that appear on snow in the evening.