Month: September 2020

Ice On Fire

A much needed change in the weather descended over Rocky Mountain National Park last week. After record warm temperatures and the end to the Labor Day weekend, cold air and snow blanketed RMNP for most of last week. On Wednesday the 9th of September, I took advantage of the fresh snow to hike up Flattop Mountain for sunrise. While sunrise was mostly obscured by clouds, by the time I was back down at the Dream Lake overlook, beams of light were shining down on Longs Peak and Glacier Gorge. Mills Lake and Jewell Lake can also be seen in this image below Longs Peak. Technical Details: Nikon Z7, Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8 AF-S VR FL lens

Its been a rollercoaster week in Rocky Mountain National Park. With late summer continuing its trend of hot and dry weather, exacerbated by the Cameron Peak fire which entered Rocky Mountain National Park last week and burned up along the Hagues Creek and Cascade drainage, one could only expect the year of 2020 to continue with oddities and disruptions.

With the park service closing Trail Ridge Road, Old Fall River Road and access to pretty much all of the north eastern and western portions of Rocky Mountain National Park due to the Cameron Peak fire, the weather took a dramatic turn after the Labor Day holiday weekend.

A strong early season cold front dropped in the night of September 7th, plummeting temperatures and kicking off 3 days of unseasonably cold and wet weather which was badly needed over Colorado.

Most of us probably don’t envision waking up the day after Labor Day, the unofficial end to the Summer Season to find temperatures in the 20’s and snow falling hard but thats in fact what we were greeted with.

Snow fell on Rocky Mountain National Park along with the Cameron Peak Fire from the night of Monday the 7th all the way the through the early hours of Friday morning. In total nearly a foot of snow fell over portions of RMNP and the needed moisture helped to at least temporarily stop the explosive growth of the fire.

Early season storms RMNP provide great opportunities for photographers to get into areas that would be very challenging in the middle of winter. Near timberline on Flattop Mountain the pines were coated in ice and snow. In the middle of winter these trees would not only be buried in large drifts, but just getting up here would require technical winter skills along with great stamina. Technical Details: Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm F4 S lens
The dramatic shift from summer to winter also allowed for the skies to clear of all the smoke and ash that had been falling over the past few weeks and flip the script from summer type photography conditions to winter landscapes.

I took the opportunity to get out the back end of last week and enjoy the snow covered landscapes in Rocky and get into some areas that are usually very difficult in the winter months due to heavy snows and cold conditions. These early season storms in Rocky typically offer photographers a chance to capture the landscape of Rocky covered in fresh snow without the brutally cold temperatures one would find in the middle of winter while also needing only minimal equipment such as micro spikes to access the backcountry and trails.

While I had 3 great mornings out in the park, the morning of September 9th offered the most dramatic conditions and I took advantage of them by hiking up to the top of Flattop Mountain for sunrise. While the sunrise was obscured by clouds, breaks in the cover did happen latter in the morning make for some dramatic lighting over a snow covered Longs Peak.

The reprieve to cooler weather was only temporary as this week looks once again to be warm and dry. Hopefully the moisture from last week can keep a handle on the Cameron Peak fires spread into Rocky and we can get some more moisture over the park by the end of the week. Either way it was a welcome change even if I’m not quite ready for the snow and winter just yet.

From Fire To Ice

2020 has been nothing short of a wild and strange trip. The year continues to forgo ever having a dull moment as we have now seen both the Cameron Peak Fire expand into the borders of Rocky Mountain National Park, while and early season post Labor Day snowstorm blankets the park with a predicted foot plus of snow. Hopefully this will help to abate the spread of the fire and bring some much needed moisture to Rocky. The only positive to all the smoke and ash over RMNP lately has been interesting sunrises and sunsets. This was sunrise on Labor Day morning from Moraine Park as the sun rose over Eagle Cliff Mountain. Hopefully, this will be the last smoke filled sunrise of the season that I photograph. Technical Details: Nikon Z7, Nikkor 200-500mm f5.6AF-S VR lens.

2020 continues to be the year that fails to be dull. The year that never fails to surprise and amaze, and not always in good ways continues on with more surprises. The current surprise being a post labor day snowstorm that is now hitting Rocky Mountain National Park after a week of near record temperatures and the exponential growth of the Cameron Peak Fire which has now entered the northeastern section of Rocky Mountain National Park.

With ash raining down on the park all weekend, and smoke so thick that the NPS had to close Trail Ridge Road due to poor visibility, the Cameron Peak fire exploded and nearly tripled in size from a few days ago to just under 100,000 acres. Even more upsetting is that the fire managed to cross over Highway 14 and make a run up the Hague Creek drainage in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Reports on how much damage the fire has actually caused in RMNP are still vague as most of the news reporting has been focused on the areas outside the park where there is housing and buildings to direct resources to.

The fire incident mapping which is updated once a day now shows that the drainages up Hagues Creek and just below Cascade Creek and Mirror Lake have now burned. This hits close to home for me not only because the fire is now inside Rocky Mountain National Park, but also because I just recently spent a few days backpacking in the Mirror Lake getting to explore the beauty in this remote section of the park. As is always the case, when one visits and area it just leads one to plan on exploring larger and different areas on future visits. This was certainly the case with the Hagues Creek drainage which is a beautiful and remote section of the park just asking to be photographed.

The good news with regards to the Cameron Peak Fire is that the current snowstorm that is blanketing the park, should help with much needed moisture. Fire officials do not believe this will be a season ending event and think the fire will continue to burn even after the predicted 8-14 inches falls on Rocky in the next few days, but it will certainly help with what has turned into an unbelievably dry summer.

I’ll certainly welcome some cooler weather and hopefully smokeless skies moving forward. Hopefully the NPS will be able to reopen Trail Ridge Road, Old Fall River Road and some other northern sections of the park after all the moisture falls. While it would be easy enough to complain about the early season snowfall and the impact it is likely to have on fall color and late summer season photography, it really could not come at a better time considering the spread of the Cameron Peak Fire.

September Brings The First Snow

The first day of September here in Rocky Mountain National Park did not disappoint. With a cold front moving in over RMNP that night, I found the first snow of the season above 11,500 ft. Here is the sun rising just above the ridge of Mount Chiquita while Marmot Point fills the foreground. Technical Details: Nikon Z7, Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 AF-S ED FL lens

Summer continues to fly by here in Rocky Mountain National Park. August has now come and gone and one of the best months for photographers has now arrived. With the calendar page flipping over from August to September, the first day of September left little to the imagination on what lies in store for us as we begin to say goodbye to summer.

After having an above average temperatures for the months of July and August, and the Cameron Peak fire burning just outside the northeastern boundary to the park since August 13th, the morning of September 1st brought some much needed relief.

The first of two strong cold fronts moved in through the park on the night of August 31st into September 1st. Rain fell over most of Rocky Mountain National Park but just above 11,500 ft, that rain turned to snow. For the first time this season, the high peaks of RMNP had a nice dusting of snow on them.

Finally some fog and clouds for a change in RMNP. Looking at the north side of the Lava Cliffs, Fog and low lying clouds skirt the snow covered ridges above 11,500 ft as the sun illuminates the fall colored tundra grasses just below the snow line. Technical Details: Nikon Z7, Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8 AF-S VR ED FL lens
The combination of snow along with the alpine tundra that is found at nearly the same elevation made for a nice combination of color and contrast. Snow dusting the peaks and reds and yellow alpine tundra displaying its fall glory helped to change the scenery for a change. No smokey or cloudless skies this morning, just some light snow on the peaks and the tundra looking colorful as it was amplified by the moisture on the grasses.

While its hard to know if this is the start of a weather pattern change here in Rocky Mountain National Park or a one off, it was an unmistakable change in the weather that could be felt as we moved into what is regarded by many, as the best month of the year in the park.