Regensburger Photography

Category: Hot spots

  • Herman Gulch in Fall

    Herman Gulch in fall is a great hike.  It is short and rewards the hiker with great views and some brilliant fall color.  I even saw the last vestiges of summer wildflowers.  To see columbine blooming in September was quite a shock.  Some high clouds were also racing past high above giving some definition to the scene.

    The hike ascends through willows which had turned yellow.  The ground cover was also brilliant orange and red in spots.  There were even a few aspen that had started to turn.  It looks like it will be an early fall but one with good color this year in the high country of Colorado.

    Herman Gulch is located at mile marker 218 off of I-70 near the Loveland ski area.  It is 3.3 miles to the lake but only a couple of miles to hike through most of the meadow areas.

  • Fern Lake

    I hiked up to Fern Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park this weekend.  I saw some beautiful waterfalls along the way and enjoyed fishing in the lake. The underbrush and ferns had started to turn so I saw some fall color as well. Unfortunately, I also dropped a neutral density filter into Fern Falls and watched it drop over a small cliff.  Luckily, I found a game trail down to the bottom and retrieved my filter from where it had lodged the rocks.  Thankfully, I had dropped the filter in its case so it was no worse for wear.  Whew!  Breakthrough filters are not cheap.

    Fern Lake Trail

    The trail starts at the end of the Moraine Park Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Parking is scarce so get there early.  The trail climbs gradually for the first two miles before it reaches the pool along the Big Thompson River.  This is the first of a couple of nice waterfalls.  Then the fun begins.  The trial climbs steeply above the Pool for the next mile before reaching beautiful Fern Falls.  This is one of the best falls in the park.  I can’t wait to go back next spring when it is fuller.  If it’s possible, the trail gets even steeper on its way to Fern Lake.  After about a mile, it finally level off and leads to a trail divide.  Take the short spur to Fern Lake and you will be rewarded with a beautiful spot for a picnic or fishing adventure.

     

  • Lost Man Lake

    I backpacked to Lost Man Lake in the Hunter-Frying Wilderness this past weekend near Independence Pass.  The weather was overcast for most of the trip, but the sun came out for two minutes at sunset.  I was pleasantly surprised to see some wildflowers still blooming in the area.  I also got some cool pictures of the area in the moonlight.  If I only had a fishing rod with me I could’ve caught some of the trout swimming in the lake.

    Trail Description to Lost Man Lake

    Lost Man Lake is reached by hiking 2.5 on a well-marked trail.  The trail begins near the summit of Independence Pass at 11,200 feet.  Views are constant as you while the trail.  The trail ascends gradually for about the first 1.25 as it follows a stream through willow.  As you climb out of the willow, the trail then steeply ascends towards the pass.  The trail passes Independence Lake just before reaching the summit.  The lake is a pretty spot to grab lunch or just take in the view.  The trail then makes a short but steep climb to the top of the pass.  The pass lies just past the two mile mark on the trail.  After taking in a panoramic view of the mountains around you, descend a series of steep switchbacks to Lost Man Lake just on the other side of the pass.  There are a few camp spots near the far end of the lake and camping is plentiful as the trail descends into the valley below the lake.  Some hikes do a shuttle hike connecting back with the highway after 7 more miles of hiking. Or hikers can return the same way they came.

    Directions

    Take Independence Pass road (Hwy 82) from Twin Lakes, CO to the summit of Independence Pass (about 1/2 an hour).  Then drive about 1 mile west of the summit and park at the large lot on the right side of the road at the bend in the road.

  • Shrine Ridge Wildflowers

    Shrine Ridge

    I backpacked to the summit of Shrine Ridge near Vail, CO.  The wildflowers were bountiful again this year although not quite as good as last year.  Lupine and red paintbrush were the predominant varieties with some alpine sunflowers and others mixed in.  I camped near the top so I could do some night photography in the moonlight and catch sunrise on the ridge.  A thunderstorm hung around until after midnight so I had to wait a while before the moon came out.  I was rewarded with some fantastic photo ops when the moon finally emerged.  Although I could not see all the flowers, the meadow was filled with flowers.  Once the sun came up, I was amazed with the color and variety of flowers.

    Trail directions

    Shine Ridge is located at the summit of Vail Pass, 10 miles east of Vail.  Take the exit for the rest area at the summit and drive on the dirt road to the right for about 2.5 miles.  Park at the trail head (get there early because the lot fills quickly).  The trail begins by wandering through willow in a boggy area.  It climbs past a small pond and then climbs steeply past some meadows of paintbrush.  As you climb, you will cross a small creek.  Stay on the main trail at the 1 mile marker where it meets a spur trail leading from a mountain inn.  After about 1.25 miles, the trail flattens out briefly as you reach the base of the ridge.  Snow cornices linger here well into summer.  The trail veers right and climbs again steeply up to the ridge.  At the summit, veer right and explore the wildflower-filled meadow.  Views of the Holy Cross Wilderness open up to the west.

  • Frozen Frost

    We had a nice foggy morning yesterday which quickly cleared.  Frost was frozen to everything!  I quickly hopped in a car and headed to Boulder to do some photography.  I stopped at Sawmill Ponds on the eastern side of Boulder.  The area has a number of trails around small ponds.  Of particular interest was the abundance of dead grass and weeds with seed pods still on.  This made for great closeup photography.  Frozen frost provides some amazing subjects. The frost crystals were huge. Of course I had to work fast.  The conditions only lasted a couple of hours before the sun started to melt everything.

  • Dream Lake Snowshoe

    I snowshoed up to Dream Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park last week with my kids.  This is the perfect trail for kids.  It is not too long and the kids love playing on the ice coating Dream Lake at the end of the hike.  At just over a mile in length, the trail is fairly easy with only a couple of steep sections.  It is heavily used so the snow gets packed firm.  Snowshoes aren;t even necessary most of the trip. The cleats certainly help on the ice, though.

    The lake is a good spot to do winter photography.  The ice makes for some cool abstract compositions and the lake itself it surrounded by mountain peaks.  This place is a true test of HDR software, however.  The lake sits in shade while the peaks are bathed in sunshine.

    Directions

    To access Dream Lake, take the Bear Lake road until it ends in the national park.  The trail ascends to the left from the Bear Lake parking lot.  Dream Lake is 1.1 miles from the trailhead.   You can continue another 3/4 of a mile or so to reach Emerald Lake.

  • Mayflower Gulch Snowshoe

    Mayflower Gulch near Copper Mountain is one of my favorite spots to snowshoe.  The climb isn’t particularly taxing and the views and splendid in the basin.  The old mine buildings give the place a uniquely Colorado feel.  One of these years, I’ll get there near sunset to capture better light.

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  • Sigma DP3 Merrill in Rocky Mountain National Park

    I’ve owned a Sigma DP2 Merrill for about a year now.  I was so impressed with the image quality that I jumped at the chance to grab its bigger brother, the DP3 Merrill, when they went on sale recently.  I had a chance to try out the DP3 during a recent visit to Rocky Mountain National Park.  The camera layout is much the same as the other two Merrill compacts. A couple of cosmetic changes have been made.  The lens cap is a better pinch design and of course the camera is physically bigger due to the longer focal length (75mm equivalent vs 45mm).  The camera still takes forever to write a RAW file but its autofocus does seem a bit quicker.  The camera can focus much closer than the DP2 to allow for macro closeups.  Image quality is again stellar on the DP3.  Color correction is a little tricky in the Sigma software but can easily be done in post using Lightroom or Photoshop.

    I tried out several subjects on my trip to Estes Park.  I shot an old barn in Longmont on the way up.  rocky-mountain-national-park-sigma-web-0002

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    I then hiked to  Dream Lake in the park.  Clouds obscured the sunrise but interesting patterns were everywhere in the ice and snow.  The wind was howling, too! I walked around Bear Lake and found some interesting ice flows.  Finally, I hiked to Alberta Falls.  Not much to look at in the winter, but there were some cool animal tracks in the snow.

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  • Rocky Mountain National Park

    I spent the last few days hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park.  I hiked up to Chapin Pass on the back side of Trail Ridge Road.  There were plenty of columbine and marmots to photograph.  Then I backpacked to Ptarmigan basin.  This involved venturing off trail across the Continental Divide.  I found a very pretty stream to photograph along with a herd of elk.  Unfortunately, the weather turned cloudy and cool so my hopes for great reflection photos were dashed.  Still, I enjoyed the hike over Flattop Mountain.

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    Regensburger Photography is a full service photography studio providing innovative and stylish portraits, senior portraits, weddings, and more in the Denver metro area. If you are looking for someone to capture memories that last a lifetime, contact Regensburger Photography today at 303 478 -7586.

  • Columbines are Blooming

    Colorado columbine are blooming in proliferation this year in some parts of the mountains.  I have found very nice patches along the West Chicago Creek trail near Idaho Springs and even better blooms along the Herman Gulch trail.  The meadows were filled with plants.  I am headed to Rocky Mountain National Park this week and can’t wait to see what I find.  The flowers have been much better than last year so far.

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    Regensburger Photography is a full service photography studio providing innovative and stylish portraits, senior portraits, weddings, and more in the Denver metro area. If you are looking for someone to capture memories that last a lifetime, contact Regensburger Photography today at 303 478 -7586.

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