October 2010
Mount Sneffels Wilderness, Grand Mesa - Uncompahgre - Gunnison National Forest, CO, USA
Canon 5D MkII & EF 70-200mm f/4L USM, 1/20s f/8 ISO400 @84mm
After spending the sunrise hours photographing the extensive aspen groves that grow north of the Sneffels Range, I decided to do a little work out and visit the beautiful alpine terrain of the San Juan Mountains. My objective was to reach the 14,000 feet of Blue Lakes Pass and enjoy the panoramas that open up from such a privileged view point. To do so, however, I had to overcome the 4,600 feet elevation gain that separates the pass from the East Dallas Creek trailhead. Fortunately, by this day I had already been hiking on a daily basis for more than a week and was becoming more of a goat than a man, and I was surprised by how little effort it required.
The aspen groves of the trailhead with its golden autumn colors quickly give pass to a pretty and silent pine forest. Views slowly open up you gain elevation and the forest thins out before reaching the meadows growing in the vicinity of beautiful Blue Lakes. As there was very little wind, I was able to capture the reflections of the rocky terrain and colorful grasses on the calm surface of the lakes, as seen above. Above the lakes, the thin high altitude air makes for little haze and sharp clear vistas of the surrounding peaks, while preventing all but the hardest plants from taking hold. The barren terrain is spectacular as you make your way up along the many switchbacks that finally take you to the pass. Incredible views in all directions await you there, with the lakes right below and Mount Sneffels a short distance to the North, as can be seen in this other photo. After eating your well deserved lunch, it is a pity one has to backtrack.