As I stated in my last post, summer is quickly coming to an end. As such, I decided I needed to do at least one more backpacking trip while it was still relatively warm. I decided to go up over Cameron Pass to the American Lakes, just outside of the boundaries of RMNP’s north border.

I started out fairly late, leaving Fort Collins at around 2:00pm, meaning I got to the trailhead around 4:00. Generally I would have parked in the Cameron Pass parking lot and hiked along the Michigan Ditch road, but there was a recent landslide, and it will be closed until next year. Because of this, I started from the American Lakes trailhead proper, down by the Lake Agnes trailhead.

The trail isn’t terribly long, only 3.5 miles up to the lakes and another 1 mile to Thunder Pass, so I wasn’t worried about arriving in camp too late, but it meant that there were some nice shadows from the waning sun. I had winter on my mind as I was hiking, and I think I want to return here after it snows, since there are some dramatic views around which would only be amplified by a layer of snow.

I really like this picture for a variety of reasons. First off, I really like the broken bridge, it is an interesting subject. Second, I like how it makes my eyes follow it to the sun shining through the trees, which is my third attraction: I recently learned how to get the starburst effect on the sun by having a high aperture (f11), and I think it works well here without too much of a lens flare. Finally, I edited this picture a bit differently than I have in the past, using a bit of split toning to modify the colors marginally, creating a pretty flat but interesting image.

I got to the top right as the sun was setting (see cover image). I set up camp in a stand of trees to protect me from the harsh wind, though it was impossible to avoid it completely, and setting up my tent alone was a hassle. I rehydrated my dinner (Sweet and Sour Lamb, from New Zealand!) and ate as the sun set on Mt. Lulu to my east. Since I didn’t have much to do, I decided to hike over to Thunder Pass to keep myself warm and enjoy the views:

I stepped into the Park just to feel the rush of entering without paying, but quickly jumped back out, lest there was a Ranger watching. By this time it had started to cool down significantly, and the wind was as strong as ever. I want to note that the Icebreaker Helix jacket I took along for the first time this trip performed incredibly, and I will be using it often this winter. Anyway, I then hiked back to my tent to get a new battery for my camera, and get ready for the stars to come out and moon rise.

It was nearly a full harvest moon, and it illuminated the Nokhu Crags brightly. Obligatory selfie here. It was a nice solitary night (despite the wind), though I did see some lights from another group of campers a little lower down in the valley.

This ^ is probably my favorite picture from that trip. I like the shadows of the moonlight and the milky way behind the mountain, and the alpine tundra (one of my favorite areas) presenting a simple foreground.

If you’re interested, here’s what it looks like when the wind blows your camera over in the middle of an exposure. About this time I decided it was a good time to hit the hay for the night, since I planned on waking up before sunrise to document it. The wind didn’t die down in the night as I had hoped it would, and it kept me in a very restless sleep for the night.

The sparse clouds over Mt. Lulu (pictured) were enough to grab the colorful rays of the rising sun, and it was a nice view to capture. However, these clouds eventually blocked the early sun from hitting the peaks of the Nohku Crags, which I was hoping to see. There were plenty of other pictures to be had nonetheless.

Obviously it froze the night before, though I was plenty warm in my 35F bag. You can probably recognize the unnamed mountain in the background from the milky way shot.

Because I hadn’t slept well the night before and it was still pretty cold, I decided to go back to sleep for a couple hours. When I woke again, the sun was fully up and it was almost warm, so I made breakfast, packed up camp (once again, the wind didn’t help in this), and headed back down the mountain.

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