High Country Photography (13,000-14,250ft)

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - High Country Photography (13,000-14,250ft)

Posted: 8/9/2011 4:35:04 PM EDT

I took a ride yesturday to Mount Evans. The road up Mount Evans is the highest roadway in the United States. There is some great scenery along the way with many photo opportunities, especially the wildlife. There are also many hiking trails on the mountain... if you can catch your breath.

These were shot with my Pentax Kx and the kit 18-55mm lens and the Sigma 70-300 APO DG lens.

Most of these photos were taken between 13,000 - 14,250 ft.

mt evans 1 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

A lot of marmots on the mountain

mt evans 2 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mt evans 3 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

This is Summit Lake at 12,836 ft elevation

mt evans 4 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mt evans 5 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mt evans 6 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

There were many mountain goats in the area, here is one photo (the rest are posted on another thread here)

mountain goat 2 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

Just a shot of my ride (2009 V-Strom 650)

mt evans ride by coloradocj, on Flickr

mt evans pano by coloradocj, on Flickr

At the top (14,250ft)

mt evans 7 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mt evans 8 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

Some scrawny looking Big Horn Sheep. I was sitting on a rock about 6 ft. from them. This was at around 40mm.

mt evans 8a 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mt evans 9 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mt evans 9a 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mt evans 9b 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mt evans 9c 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

Posted: 8/9/2011 4:37:25 PM EDT

[#1]

Amazing stuff. Thanks for sharing. That 70-300 looks pretty sharp too. I've never liked those Sigmas, but looks like you got a great copy.

Posted: 8/9/2011 4:38:59 PM EDT

[#2]

Amazing!

Posted: 8/9/2011 4:41:20 PM EDT

[#3]

Awesome. Thanks for posting these.

Posted: 8/9/2011 4:43:32 PM EDT

[#4]

Cool pics, I drove up there last Thursday. It's was a fun drive.

Posted: 8/9/2011 4:44:54 PM EDT

[#5]

Great pics sweet ride (i have a sv650

). Thanks for sharing

Posted: 8/9/2011 4:45:57 PM EDT

[#6]

Hmmmmmmm Tommy Knockers......Idaho Springs......

Posted: 8/9/2011 4:48:14 PM EDT

[#7]

Those are the saddest, scrawniest Big Horns I've ever seen...

Posted: 8/9/2011 4:50:26 PM EDT

[#8]

great pics

what's with the taxi driver beads on your motorcycle seat?

Posted: 8/9/2011 4:53:34 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Those are the saddest, scrawniest Big Horns I've ever seen...

Yeah, they were pretty rough. I was sitting 6 ft. away on a rock. I think they were up on top of the mountain looking for handouts. There was no grazing around, they were too high for decent grass.

Here's a couple of shots of some more healthy Big Horns, taken about 5 minutes from my house.

Big Horn 21Nov2010 by coloradocj, on Flickr

Big Horn 21Nov2010b by coloradocj, on Flickr

Posted: 8/9/2011 4:55:16 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:

great pics

what's with the taxi driver beads on your motorcycle seat?

Don't knock it until you try it!

I know it looks bad, but it turned a 2 hour seat into an all day seat. I still want to save my pennies for a Russel Day Long seat though.

Posted: 8/9/2011 5:02:12 PM EDT

[#11]

Nice Marmot.

Posted: 8/9/2011 5:07:03 PM EDT

[#12]

Posted: 8/9/2011 5:11:22 PM EDT

[#13]

I love CO

Posted: 8/9/2011 5:17:31 PM EDT

[#14]

That is really cool. Talking about cool, what was the temperature at the higher elevations?

Posted: 8/9/2011 5:19:38 PM EDT

[#15]

It was 95 that day and 43 at the top. It's a real nice way to get out of the heat. A few people as still skiing some small snow fields in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Posted: 8/9/2011 5:24:12 PM EDT

[#16]

Awesome

Posted: 8/9/2011 5:29:18 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
It was 95 that day and 43 at the top. It's a real nice way to get out of the heat. A few people as still skiing some small snow fields in Rocky Mountain National Park.

I was just in RMNP last Thursday. You'd have to be pretty nuts to ski those fields right now.

Posted: 8/9/2011 5:38:01 PM EDT

[#18]

Really nice pics. I like to go to 14ers.com and look at the pics on their trip reports.

Posted: 8/9/2011 5:40:21 PM EDT

[#19]

Last year we took a trip to Mt. Evans and went past Echo Lake, but only made it up to about 11,500 or 12,000 feet because it was too late in the year and the road to the top was closed. I was SO disappointed - we never even made it to the timberline!

Awesome photos. Now I get to see what I missed.

Posted: 8/9/2011 5:45:57 PM EDT

[#20]

pure awesome

I just miss the mountains.

While living in Park City Utah I made many trips up north. Just so awesome to see what mother nature can create

thank you for sharing

Posted: 8/9/2011 5:47:32 PM EDT

[#21]

Handies Peak, San Juan Mountains, Southwest Colorado. 14k

After living with the 100 + heat and high humidity for the last couple of weeks, I want to head back west.

Maybe next week.

Posted: 8/9/2011 5:50:47 PM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:
Nice Marmot.

That's what I was going to post.

Posted: 8/9/2011 6:01:24 PM EDT

[#23]

Guess I'll post these here too. This herd of Mountain Goats was around the 13,000ft elevation. I got within 20 ft. of the large male to take some of these shots.

I used my Sigma 70-300 APO DG lens for this series.

mountain goat 1 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mountain goat 2 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mountain goat 3 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mountain goat 4 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mountain goat 5 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mountain goat 6 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

mountain goat 7 8-7-11 by coloradocj, on Flickr

Posted: 8/9/2011 7:12:06 PM EDT

[#24]

Ol' billy goat has gotten fat eating those alpine buttercups. I will be up there (northern rockies) in 16 days!!! I am in countdown mode to get out of this heat.
Great shots. I heard tell when Lewis and Clark first saw the front range of the northern rockies they figured that they would scamper over them in a couple of days like they could in
the appalachans. After a couple of weeks and the scenery still looked like your photos with mountains all the way to the western horizon, they began to fear
that they might not ever get out before Winter. Every American should behold our Rocky Mountains.

Posted: 8/9/2011 7:31:26 PM EDT

[#25]

damn he looks like a gorilla

Posted: 8/9/2011 7:36:05 PM EDT

[#26]

Awesome pics. Isn't there a lodge along that road? Around a lake? Been about 20 years since I was there.

Posted: 8/9/2011 7:43:18 PM EDT

[#27]

Nice pics guys. Mt Evans road has Pikes Peak road beat by 100', but Pikes Peak road has more elevation change.

I miss the mountains.....

Posted: 8/9/2011 7:48:57 PM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:
Awesome pics. Isn't there a lodge along that road? Around a lake? Been about 20 years since I was there.

Echo Lodge/Echo Lake is the at the turn off from 103 (squaw pass) to go up Mt. Evans.

Posted: 8/9/2011 8:20:30 PM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Awesome pics. Isn't there a lodge along that road? Around a lake? Been about 20 years since I was there.

Echo Lodge/Echo Lake is the at the turn off from 103 (squaw pass) to go up Mt. Evans.

That's it! First time ever saw snow in June. We stopped there and had hot chocolate.

Posted: 8/9/2011 8:39:35 PM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Awesome pics. Isn't there a lodge along that road? Around a lake? Been about 20 years since I was there.

Echo Lodge/Echo Lake is the at the turn off from 103 (squaw pass) to go up Mt. Evans.

That's it! First time ever saw snow in June. We stopped there and had hot chocolate.

I had friends from Florida up in mid-July years back, went up Mt. Evans. The first time they'd seen snow, so of course snow angels were made. There's a snow field, above timberline that I can see from the house I'm working on in Empire.

Posted: 8/9/2011 8:41:11 PM EDT

[#31]

How come none of the big horn sheep have blue collars like all the ones I see along I-70?

Posted: 8/9/2011 8:44:35 PM EDT

[#32]

My Suzuki KingQuad at 11,100 ft on the Paiute Trail in Utah!

Posted: 8/9/2011 8:46:13 PM EDT

[#33]

That's nothing. Eagle Mountain is 23,010 feet making it the highest point in MN.*

*I mean 2,301 feet.

Posted: 8/9/2011 8:47:28 PM EDT

[#34]

We saw those sheep walking in the ruins of that stone building at the summit. It was like they were hired by Kodak.

Posted: 8/10/2011 3:19:44 PM EDT

[#35]

Thanks guys. Yeah, you can't beat the Rockies any time of the year. I'm hoping to head south to the Quray area before fall to ride on some of the high mountain pass trails.

I'll be sure to take plenty of photos!