Have Another Cold One

Is this Alaska or Rocky Mountain National Park?. It's quickly nearing the end of April in Rocky but you wouldn't know it by looking at this image of Moraine Park. Moraine Park is covered in over a foot of new snow and the Big Thompson river is completely iced over. Technical Details: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 17mm F4 TS-E L
Is this Alaska or Rocky Mountain National Park?. It’s quickly nearing the end of April in Rocky but you wouldn’t know it by looking at this image of Moraine Park. Moraine Park is covered in over a foot of new snow and the Big Thompson river is completely iced over. Technical Details: Canon EOS 1Ds III, 17mm F4 TS-E L
Normally I would expect for the Big Thompson river to be flowing at a steady pace this time of year. The winter melt off in the high country would have begun and the streams around Rocky would be thawing and filling with this winters snowmelt. The end of April is a transitional season, the end of April this year seems to have us transitioning back towards January.

Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park desperately need all the moisture they can get. April has helped to get the area nearer to normal levels. Bear Lake recorded 32 inches of fresh snow at the end of last week. All this moisture should go a long way to help mitigate the fire danger and provide a beautiful display of wildflowers through June, July and August for us photographers.

Finding running or open water anywhere in the park last week was a challenge. In fact it was mostly impossible. The best I could do is find some areas of open ice along the Big Thompson in Moraine Park to reflect this beautiful sunrise after trudging through the a few feet of snow in Moraine Park to get to this bend.

The warm weather, thawed lakes and snow free trails are just around the bend. I just need to keep reminding myself of this fact and keep the winter gear handy for a little while longer.