Navigating Through Autumn

Historic Flooding, cold and snow and a government shut down have all contributed to making photography in Boulder, Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park very difficult. While autumn has not lived up to its usual hype here in Colorado because of these events, one is still able to find beautiful scenes even in the midst of difficult times. Ironically, the flooding and heavy rains caused this seasonal puddle to form in Boulders Chautauqua Park. The tree's in Chautauqua Meadow were peaking as a beautiful sunrise unfolded over the Flatirons. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 17mm TS-E F4L
Historic Flooding, cold and snow and a government shut down have all contributed to making photography in Boulder, Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park very difficult. While autumn has not lived up to its usual hype here in Colorado because of these events, one is still able to find beautiful scenes even in the midst of difficult times. Ironically, the flooding and heavy rains caused this seasonal puddle to form in Boulders Chautauqua Park. The tree’s in Chautauqua Meadow were peaking as a beautiful sunrise unfolded over the Flatirons. Technical Details: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 17mm TS-E F4L

In a nutshell, the last few weeks have been a hard go here on the Front Range of Colorado. In what is typically my favorite time of year for photography, conditions and circumstances beyond control have placed a damper on many of the places and locales I often photograph between Estes Park and Boulder.

At time like these, landscape photography can seem trivial compared to the damage and devastation the flooding in and around Boulder has caused to peoples homes, business and communities at large. Even so, I look to my photography as a temporary diversion to the reality of the situation that will now accompany us for sometime.

A triple whammy would be the best way to describe what’s happened here this autumn. First the historic flooding that inundated Boulder and Estes Park which in turn closed roads and trails. Secondly, a spate of wet, cold and windy weather over the Front Range at the end of September combined with an above average year for moisture tempered the fall colors rendering many tree’s leafless, brown or still green. And the lastly, our good friends in government provided us with first hand kabuki theater and shut down the government, or at least thirty percent of it making access to National Parks and in particular Rocky Mountain National Park, impossible.

I can only describe the last month in one word, frustrating. It would be hard for me to believe that cabin fever could settle in over the month of September, but that’s what its felt like for me. Not being able to access places I find vital to my soul has been difficult. I daydream in envy thinking of the herds of elk, or solitary black bear trudging through the meadows or back country of Rocky Mountain National Park with nary a human for miles. A return to primal times is what it must feel like in all these once so easily accessible locations.

Things are starting to look up however. Roads are starting to reopen including Colorado highway 119 through Boulder Canyon. This will make getting to the Peak to Peak highway and Estes Park much more convenient. I’m holding out hope that our federal government can come to some sort of compromise on funding and Rocky Mountain National Park can reopen sooner than later.

So until Rocky Mountain National Park reopens and many of the trails on Open Space and Mountain Park property in Boulder are repaired, I’ll be looking for other opportunities to photograph and keep the rust off, including a quick trip back east for fall color. Patience will be paramount, but sooner than later we can all put these bumpy few months behind us and start returning to our usual haunts.