An Autumn To Remember - a photo on Flickriver

On August 28, 2022, I set off in my bad a$$ lifted Toyota Sienna (really hard to say that with a straight face) with the goal of driving to Denali National Park in Alaska and then to follow the Autumn colors all the way down to the San Juans in Southern Colorado. Some five weeks and 13,000 miles later I arrived in the San Juans after several adventures, not the least of which was arriving at the border crossing on my way to Dawson Creek in the Yukon only to find it closed for the season.

Of all of the adventures and scenes that I encountered across the many miles, my very last day turned out to be the most memorable. It began with driving out on a mesa shortly after sunrise just in time to catch a snow storm clearing over some of the most majestic mountains I had ever seen. They seemed to go on forever in all directions, the light was amazing, and I had all morning to shoot. It was exactly what I had hoped to be shooting on my third trip to shoot Fall colors in Colorado.

Later that evening, I bounced up an unpaved road in a bit of a hurry as I misjudged the time it would take get this location. I spent the next hour or so bushwacking my way up to this overview, the hike having been made more difficult by numerous fallen trees, a rain soaked hillside, and the remnants of a cow with a severe digestive problem. I finally emerged at the top of the ridge about 20 minutes before sunset, exhausted and bruised, but surprised that I was the only photographer there. (It would seem that all of the more sensible photographers knew not to try this trail after a heavy rain storm.)

I shot my butt off for about half an hour before starting back down...which turned out to be much more problematic than getting up. Between the cow mess and the steep, slimy, rain soaked semi-trail, it took me until well after dark to inch my way back to the road. Halfway down, a heavy mist moved in, making it more challenging to find my way...even with Gaia. Just after the mist moved in, I heard heavy crashing off to my left and my heart stopped. . Even though it wasn't a bear, it was DEFINITELY unnerving to turn around and see two enormous cow eyes gleaming at me out of the darkness. I picked up my pace after that and eventually made it back to the van.

Some 90 minutes later I stood in front of my bad a$$ minivan, soaked and cold and very relieved to be back on the road. I took out the key fob and pressed it. Nothing. For one horrible moment I thought maybe I had left the lights on and the battery must be completely drained. Remembering that most key fobs have a literal key in them, I found mine, opened the van and eventually got the van started by holding the key fob next to the start button.

I was just starting to relax...and then the lightning started. For the next 45 minutes, I drove through torrents of rain as lighting flashed and small streams appeared on the steep and narrow dirt road on the way down. Between the fog and the rain and the lighting and the wind and falling branches and the many hairpin turns on the deteriorating road...I really wasn't sure if I would make it off of that mountain.

45 minutes later, I was trying to tell all of this to my buddy Greg Boratyn back at the hotel. He muttered something about how much easier it would have been to send a drone up and pretty much get the same shot and went back to editing his photos.

And I just stared at him.

The pano that I posted above is comprised of bruises, fatigue, cow mess, and raw terror. Earlier that evening...when I reached the top completely alone after wanting to give up...breathing hard...taking it all in...the new snow on the peaks, the low cloud inversion under Turret Ridge to my left, the aspens glowing under the muted sunset to the West....it was just magical. Are there much easier ways to get a shot from that angle? Probably. But out of 13,000 miles and 5 weeks of shooting some of the most gorgeous country on this planet, that was my favorite night by far. Years from now, this will be one of my favorite shots...not for any technical reason. Every time I look at this photo, I'll remember what it cost to get up there, my moments alone on the top of that ridge, and the adventure I had on my way out.

Bruises, cow mess, fatigue, monster storms, alone on the ridge...

Magical.

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Taken on: October 2, 2022

Tags:

Autumn

Colorado

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Sets appears in: • Colorado • Autumn Landscapes

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