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Crestone Needle, the Story behind the Image

I have not been making many new images lately, so I have been reviewing overlooked stuff from the past year. This one however, was taken way back in 2007. In September, after recently graduating college, I flew out to  Colorado for a week or so of hanging out and pretending a real life may not have to start. After several days, my buddies decided they wanted to summit Crestone Needle, one of the 54 Colorado mountains that peaks above 14,000 feet (14,197 ft to be exact). Both were experienced climbers and had bagged many other 14er’s in years past. I was along for the ride.

The approach up was a tough 4wd road that was very time consuming and interesting to say the least. My friend’s Land Rover was having some overheating issues which had us progressing even slower but we finally made it to the trail-head. We planned to camp at around 12,000ft and try for a sunrise summit the following day.

As we starting the hike, I immediately regretting living at sea level. It was obvious this wouldn’t be easy for me. The lungs were burning and an altitude head-ache quickly set in. After what seemed like way to0 long for the distance covered, we made it to camp. It was a great little spot nestled in some evergreens not too far from the South Colony Lakes. We got a simple tarp shelter and campfire set-up and then went off exploring a bit before the sun set. It helped to forget the head-ache, but it never went away.

The stars were beautiful that night and I tried some light painting with a flashlight while I caught some star trails. This was one of my first attempts but I was quite happy with how it came out.

We then went to bed, expecting a 2am wake-up to reach the summit by sunrise. Up to this point the weather had been great, maybe low 60′s and not too windy. Well, at some point shortly after retiring to the tarp shelter, the wind picked up dramatically and the temperature dropped. Rain came in and so between the occasional waterdrops that got under the tarp, and the constant flapping, we did not sleep. Sunrise summit was pretty much done and we “slept in” until maybe 7. All of a sudden one of my buddies looked out and said the mountain was glowing. The entire face of Crestone Needle was catching sunrise light and showing exactly why it is in the Sangre de Cristo(Blood of Christ) Range. I jumped up, put on whatever jacket I had, and rushed out to take whatever pictures I could. It was freezing with the wind howling, but I managed this shot from the creek, fed by one of the South Colony Lakes. Definitely one of the more exciting experiences to see.

Due to the lack of sleep and the wet rock which would make the already difficult climb a little more dangerous, we called off the summit and headed back into town. we had a great hot breakfast that could not come soon enough. We relaxed a bit and then headed back to Salida, for some much needed naps.

So, despite not having a 14er under my belt, I definitely had a keeper image and experience to remember.

The Mangrove

Florida has 3 or 4 species of mangroves, the Red, Black, and White. The button wood is also considered a mangrove sometimes. This post is dedicated to the Red Mangrove(Rhizophora mangle), the one I consider the most visually interesting. Mangroves are an extremely important aspect of the coastal ecosystem. They stabilize shoreline and provide feeding, breeding, and nursery grounds for fish, shellfish and birds. Red mangroves can be identified by their tall prop roots which help supply oxygen to the flooded roots below and also help stabilize the tree. Here are some of my favorite images created in South Florida of them.

Storm Over the Mangroves

Mangrove Moonrise

Reaching

Mangrove Magic

Summer Storms

Its that wonderful time of year in South Florida. We are well into the storm season and it seems a daily thunderstorm rolls around in the afternoon. I have spent a good deal of time chasing these storms over the years and am excited to hopefully add some new images this summer. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten out yet but I wanted to showcase some of my favorites from the past. Standing out in the Everglades when one of these whips up is an awesome experience. For one thing, the cool winds that precede the deluge feel great when it is 90 degrees plus; and it also helps blow the mosquitoes of my skin.

The lightning shows can be incredible and the sheer size of some of these storms just helps put things back in perspective. I hope you enjoy them.

Fisheating Creek

Last Tuesday I made a quick overnight run up to Fisheating Creek.  It is the last free-flowing tributary that feeds into Lake Okeechobee. When I got there, the water was quite high, at nearly 4 feet, which gave the appearance that the creek just faded into the surrounding swamp. I launched at Palmdale, the campground now managed by staff from Gatorama.  To back-country camp, you need to purchase a day use fee, which is $3 a day. You can camp along the river, wherever you find a suitable spot.

As I hit the water around 3, it was getting really hot, but about 30 minutes into the paddle, one of our summer thunderstorms hit and it poured for the next 2 hours. I paddled through it, figuring it was the best way to stay warm and was happy, because as it ended, the light started getting good and the humidity in the air really helped the mood of my images.

I ended up shooting a lot of back-lit images, one of my favorite ways to really showcase textures and light. They can be tougher to manage, but if you can expose as much for the shadows as possible or blend multiple exposures, it really helps.

I saw several Pileated Woodpeckers and their large nest cavities in dead cypress. We used to see them a lot more in Miami, but not in recent years.

One thing that worked out for me was going upstrem(mostly west) as the sun was setting. This is another reason for a lot of back-lit images. I did try to turn around and see the scenes I had passed in different light, but was usually more anxious to see what was around the next bend(usually gators dipping under the pitch black water).

About 4 or 5 miles upstream I found a nice sandbar island to set-up camp. One problem besides the low ground, was most of the shoreline has cypress knees jutting out everywhere. A hammock would work great, but I did not have a rainfly or insect shield for my hammock, so I stuck to the tent.

After setting up camp, I paddled around some more, as the light was really getting good.

As I said earlier, with the high water, the creek overflowed in areas that created “backwater bays” or rooms where the current was pretty much non-existant. This next image was one of those areas.

I fell asleep to an incredible amount of frogs calling and the barred owls were also out in force, probably hunting those frogs. Hopefully, my little Iphone recording will play for you. Frogs on Fisheating Creek

I woke up and paddled back, again with nice back-lighting, but was tired and the creative juices weren’t flowing as much I guess.

If you get the chance, I definitely recommend visiting Fisheating Creek,  a great escape from the city.

Image of the Month: June 2010 The King in Monochrome

One of my favorite black and whites from Kenya. I was planning to try and get different images, and not focus on the common animals like lions. But when I saw this male and his 2 buddies waking up to prowl, I could not deny how awesome these cats are. I was snapping away as the light was fading, and was extremely happy to come away with several images of this beautiful lion.  For June only, this image is available at discounted prices. The image will be printed on Epson Lustre Paper with Epson Ultrachrome K3 inks. These are guaranteed not to fade for over 100 yrs when properly cared for.