autumn near Marble CO

This is not the one I posted to flickr. That one was a horizontal orientation. I like verticals because of all the foreground they can include. While at the pond I saw some good foreground elements, but when reviewing my photos, they didn't make the cut. This one has the shallow rocks and a good amount of reflection.

This pond near Marble is a favorite subject of mine, and if you explore my blog, you'll find photos taken in all four seasons here. 

Snowmass Balloon Festival

Also not wilderness, this is one of few good photos I got from this year's balloon fest. The weather was a double-edged sword - it scared off most of the fliers (only eight balloons inflated Sunday morning, and one of those never left the ground), but the clouds made for more dramatic photos than a clear sky would have.

Even though we favor the backcountry and wilderness areas for our trips, once in a while it's nice to check out the things that most tourists see.  The Balloon Festival is especially appealing to photographers, because of all the big bright shapes.

early autumn morning in Colorado

This isn't the wilderness. It's a bend in the Crystal River about a mile from my home. It's one of my favorite places to wander around, in all seasons. The river was high last Saturday due to some recent rains, and this pool was fed by water flowing under the rocks.

That's Chair Mountain in the background.  Chair Mountain is part of the Raggeds, and the Raggeds Wilderness is one of many wilderness areas that are easily accessible from this part of Colorado.

Mormon Lake, Holy Cross Wilderness area

The hike to Lyle and Mormon Lakes is one of my favorites, despite only doing it twice. There are many opportunities to view the lakes from above, and complex shorelines with all sorts of interesting features that I incorporated into my photos.

We've done this as day hikes until now, but think that it would make a great backpacking trip, as there's so much to explore here.

This shot was taken on our way back to Lyle Lake.  As you can see, most of the wildflowers are gone now, and the amber and red hues of autumn are starting to dominate the scenery. 

Also in the Holy Cross Wilderness, like Savage, Carter, and Josephine Lakes, the trail to Lyle and Mormon lakes is on the way up to Hagerman Pass at the eastern end of the Frying Pan valley.

Josephine Lake, Holy Cross Wilderness area

On our way to the Savage/Carter loop last week, we passed a trailhead marked #1912. Checking the map, we found it led to Josephine Lake, a small oblong body of water surrounded on three sides by mountains. It was agreed this would be our next hike.

Like all the trails in the Holy Cross Wilderness area, Josephine Lake did not disappoint.  It was one of the more challenging day hikes, however, as there's quite a bit of elevation gain until you start descending to the lake.

We experienced just about all types of weather this day, the main reason to be prepared when hiking or backpacking in the mountains.  This photo was taken during a break in the rain, when sun bathed much of the area and helped the lake show off it's fantastic shades of green and blue.