Some of us are probably better than others at moving on to other locations and subjects, but I suspect many photographers like myself are often driven by compulsion and need to continue to create an image from a given location until they capture an image similar to what they had perceived.

There is a strong likelihood that we may never capture an image as we have imagined, but when the stars finally align and your determination and grit and compulsions pay off, the feeling can be grand. I have a list of locations that I continue to visit time and time again attempting to improve on prior attempts.

For some of these locations I have images that I’m very pleased with but have a nagging desire to further improve on previous attempts. Some locations I have no images whatsoever. Some of these locations I’ve attempted to photograph span the entire length of the sixteen years I’ve been practicing landscape photography.

This past week a culmination of being at the right place at the right time combined with a little bit of luck helped me metaphorically spear a few of my own personal white whales. A meet up with some friends from back east allowed me to spend sometime in the Aspen area. While I’ve photographed the Maroon Bells numerous times before, I’ve never had anything but mostly clear skies at sunrise. This time however, I was able to photograph the Maroon Bells on consecutive mornings with dramatic lighting.

Both Saturday and Tuesday I had great luck in Rocky Mountain National Park at both Odessa Lake and Two Rivers Lake. I’ve had difficulty in the past being at both these locations when the conditions were dramatic. After many visits to these locations over the last sixteen years, these last visits finally allowed me to capture images I had been envisioning for years. So my perseverance paid off, now its time to keep moving on down the list!.

Unfortunately, late in the week smoke from large fires burning in Washington State managed to drift over Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park. The smoke was thick and seemed to have embedded itself right along the Front Range which meant I would need to scrap my plans to hike into the backcountry and remain flexible.

In the predawn hours I drove up over Trail Ridge Road hoping I might be able to get up and away from the smoke embedded below. No such luck would be had, the smoke was still thick and plentiful on Trail Ridge. The smoke was thick enough so that my headlamps on my truck almost appeared as if I was driving through fog.

I was starting to be resigned to the fact that this just might not be my morning when I noticed some think waif like clouds forming in the skies. This gave me a little more hope as I figured I just might be able to get some color in the sky aided by some of the smoke particulates.

Down towards Milner Pass I headed. Either Poudre Lake or Lake Irene would be my destination depending on where the clouds were situated. Driving by Poudre Lake and over Milner Pass the clouds were looking quite nice. An orange glow to the north and east hung over the outlet to the lake.

A quick stop at Lake Irene was all I needed to see that Poudre Lake held much better potential with the clouds setup favoring the headwaters of the Poudre. Arriving back at Poudre Lake the skies were taking on colorful hues. I’ve always found Poudre Lake to be difficult to photograph because Trail Ridge Road runs right along the outlet to the lake and it’s difficult to keep it from becoming a distraction in an image. The conditions this morning were perfect for a silhouette of the lake which easily remedies the issue of having the road in the photograph. So even though I could do without the smoke and haze the conditions allowed me to create an image I previously had little luck pulling off.

During the long winter months, there are times when I’ll sit around daydreaming about some of my favorite hikes and locations in the park during the summer months. Rushing streams, the sweet smell of the pines, and alpine wildflowers growing between the rocks and scree of the tundra will fill my head. The anticipation waiting for these locations to thaw out and for the summer to roll in becomes palatable.

So when summer finally does arrive in Rocky Mountain National Park, a hike up to Sky Pond for sunrise is always high on my priority list. Last week I finally had the opportunity to make the trek to Sky Pond for sunrise. Even better was on the particular morning of the hike the weather conditions were looking very promising. It had rained hard the night before and when I departed the trailhead at 3:40 AM the skies above the divide were still covered with clouds while to the east of the Colorado high plains there were good size breaks developing.

The hike was uneventful but beautiful as always. The ‘super moon’ would make periodic appearances through the cloud cover shining white rays of moonlight down on The Loch and the Cathedral Wall. I wasn’t sure how much snow to expect as I neared Timberline Falls. I figured there would still be some good patches of snow hanging around the shaded areas of the trail but my main concern was being able to safely navigate the scramble up and over Timberline Falls.

Below Timberline Falls there were two decent size patches of snow still enduring as holdovers from the long winter. They were both easy enough to cross over and one at the base of Timberline Falls the scramble to the top was also clear and free of snow. Arriving at the Top of Timberline Falls and the east outlet of Lake of Glass I was met as I often am in this location with a strong breeze. It did not appear the Lake of Glass would be living up to it’s name this particular morning.

Breeze and all, the conditions were looking just about perfect for sunrise. I arrived at Lake of Glass shortly after 5:00 AM. When I arrived the skies over the lake were already beginning to take on the pre glow pastels of sunrise. Photographing the sunrise from along the rock outcropping on the south side of Lake of Glass, I quickly packed up my gear and sprinted over to Sky Pond to photograph the Sharkstooth while the light was still good. Within a few minutes the clouds obscured the peaks and sun disappeared behind the clouds.

By the time the sun ducked back behind the clouds, I was able to photograph both Lake of Glass and Sky Pond in beautiful light. I’ll take the hike to Sky Pond and Lake of Glass anytime but one’s legs feel a little less sore and a little more springy on the hike back out after such a beautiful and productive morning.

The winding, curving roadway not only gives visitors and photographers spectacular views of the mountains but also lets one experience the harsh but beautiful world that survives above tree line. Topping out at 12,183 ft above sea level, a good eleven miles of the road runs above or near tree line which in Rocky Mountain National Park occurs around 11,500 ft. Trail Ridge Road with its steep drop offs lack of guardrails and shoulders can turn even the best drivers into white knuckle drivers who end up gripping the steering wheel like their trying to squeeze juice from an orange.

So while I generally prefer to be out on a trail when heading out to photograph the park, the short window that Trail Ridge Road is open each season makes spending time traveling the road each summer a priority. July in particular is a great time to explore Trail Ridge Road. The alpine tundra will have turned green, much of the snow will have melted and wildflowers will sprouting and growing on the tundra and between the rocks.

The conditions right now on Trail Ridge are great. Plenty of green, plenty of wildflowers, still some good snow cover on the highest peaks. Many of the Elk have migrated above tree line from the valley’s below so there is plenty of large wildlife to observe. So enjoy Trail Ridge while it’s open, accessible as beautiful as it will be all season.