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Mohawk Lake Hike (10 July, 2017)| In hopes of both further experimentation with early morning, longer, low light exposures, as well increasing my chances to see more wildlife, this trek once again began at the predawn hour of 5 am. The hike would ascend the Mohawk Lake Trail to lower and upper Mohawk Lake, Continental Falls, as well as several other unnamed high alpine lakes and meadows, and would span more than 12 miles, 10 hours, and close to 4000 total vertical feet. The weather was spectacular with absolutely no morning breeze allowing for some stunning reflective shots, but unfortunately with no wildlife to be seen. The lakes, streams, waterfalls, and forests encountered during the adventure are both spectacular and centering, and I am blessed to be able to immerse myself in my beloved Rocky Mountains. I was mostly pleased with the overall results, and have found that water with direct sunlight can be tricky to say the least. I have placed the images in chronological order and I hope you enjoy your visit and look at the Mohawk Lake Trail system. I always love to get any feedback you might have, and don’t forget to check out my posts on Instagram by following “the_mogul_skier”. Thanks and Enjoy! |
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Crator Lake Hike (6 July, 2017.)It was early in the morning on 6 July, 2017, as in 5 a.m., when I hit the trailhead for the Crater Lake via Moffett Tunnel hike, in hopes of experiencing and capturing some gorgeous mountain scenery, experimenting with both early morning light and landscape composition, and of course both benefitting from and immensely enjoying the requisite arduous workout. The exercise element of the equation was more than satisfactorily realized with the hike covering more than 15 miles round trip and ascending better than 5,000 feet. This was significantly further than originally intended, but due to an unexpected pre-dawn encounter with two moose and a coyote, I missed the fork in the trail for Crater Lake, and ended up going about 7 miles out of my way. It was only because of this navigational error that I was able to capture some of the most stunning outdoor, landscape, and nature images so far. Unfortunately, due to an improperly focal setting on my big lens, I was unable to secure any postable pictures (save a very “photoshopped” moose picture on Instagram) of the incredible creatures. Yea, I know, total bummer. After beating myself up over it for about 10 minutes, I let it go and felt that much more inspired to hopefully find and shoot some pleasing and intriguing documentation of my adventure.
11 hot, sweaty, exhausting, and magical hours later, I think I found some pretty astonishing photographs to share with you all. This, I think, is by far my most accomplished nature and landscapes album yet. If any of the shots resonate with you, I’d love to hear about in the comments or guestbook section, and if you enjoyed what you saw here, please follow me on Instagram @ the_mogul_Skier. Thanks for looking and enjoy! |
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Mount Massive (27 June, 2017)| Early in the morning on Tuesday, 27 June, 2017, my good Buddy Dave Granillo and I headed out to hike the 14,429 foot peak of Mount Massive located in the Sawatch range near the mountain town of Leadville, about 2 ½ hours west of Denver. The weather was mild and sunny with temperatures at the peak holding in the mid 50’s, and with a powerful 30+ M.P.H. wind out of the west. Though still spiritual and therapeutic in nature, this was a particularly grueling trek for me. Walking was labored and awkward due to the two facts that one, my arm was still in a sling as a result of the recent surgical repair to my clavicle (collar bone/cycling accident), and two, I had, without any later regret, decided to bring both of the big cameras up the hill with me in their respective belt holsters, adding both weight and bulk. Dave powered up the hill like a mountain goat, and his patience with me that day is greatly appreciated! A truly amazing journey that started well below tree line, spanned more than 13.5 miles round trip, and ascended close to 4400 vertical feet in total. The pictures are arranged chronologically, and there was a bit of a haze that day on the way up, so you will notice some better valley and long-range shots towards the end. Please enjoy and I always welcome and enjoy any comments or feedback you may have! |
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