Impression Evergreen

A fleeting utopia The morning after our first snow and the clearing storm revealed an absolutely pristine landscape. Glittering in the soft light, a pair of ponderosa pine were glazed with fresh, white powder, creating a pointillistic effect. The gathering of dense clouds dispersed, unveiling a cold mountain that was frosted from field to summit. Gradually the white peak came into focus, crowning the autumn landscape with a staggering beauty that can only be witnessed this time of year. Sprawling below a new-blue sky, snow-spackled trees were scattered across an orange grassland. The slow-moving system had finally dispersed leaving the colorful landscape in a state of fleeting utopia. A pristine landscape A pair of ponderosa pine Unveiling a cold mountain A staggering beauty Snow-spackled trees A colorful landscape

Snowstorm at the lake It was an awesome autumn morning last Sunday as the storm packed a final punch and piled six inches of snow at Evergreen Lake. Giant flakes rained down from the firmament erasing the normally distinctive mountain backdrop. Too early for winter’s unyielding chill, the water was still fluid and leaves still firmly attached. The ochre marshland wilted under pressure from heavy accumulation, sending songbirds to seek shelter beneath the boardwalk. Despite gray weather, the dark reservoir was painted with rigid reflections that decorated the smooth surface. After such a scintillating prelude to the somber season, the slow moving storm suddenly cleared leaving behind a pristine landscape. Awesome autumn morning Giant flakes rained down Leaves were firmly attached An ochre marshland A dark reservoir A pristine landscape

First Snow On an early October morn, the first snow in the golden foothills could only be described in a soft monochrome. Rooted into a rocky hillside, an elegant forest of lodgepole pine was distinguished by a silvery tone. The soft-spoken storm snuck onto the scene and enveloped our area with dreary weather for quite some time. At the beginning, most of the moisture mixed with warm air and soaked into the parched ground. After dark when the temperatures went down, a couple of inches of wet snow accumulated on the grass, bushes and branches. By the next day, the meadow was glistening with termination dust in a picture reminiscent of winter. A soft monochrome An elegant forest Dreary weather The parched ground was soaked Snow on the grass and bushes Reminiscent of winter

A cluster of backlit pine On a tranquil autumn evening, the entry into Elk Meadow is ablaze with a carpet of fiery grasses. A cluster of backlit pine clings to a rocky hillside while broken clouds stream across the powder blue. Sprawling below the surreal sky, an orange countryside rises steadily to the fringe of a dark behemoth named Bergen Peak. Further up the rocky trail and a patch of aspen makes its last stand before winter as its leaves are just now starting to turn. From the shallow recess of a secluded hollow, a solitary pine extends its tangled branches in a wooded embrace. On the brink of a broad ridge there’s a lofty overlook where you can watch the last of the day’s light disappear and our colorful season come to an end. Ablaze with fiery grasses Bergen Peak is a dark behemoth Patch of turning aspen A secluded hollow The evening's last light disappears

Beaver Brook On a steamy autumn day, the casual descent into a deep gorge was suddenly transformed into a lesson about underestimation. It began along a pine studded rim, towering above the mysterious depths of a jagged ravine. Carved by a fast-flowing creek called Beaver Brook, the narrow gulch was a fantastical place where sea serpents swam. The farthest reaches of this Front Range wilderness felt just as remote, rugged and awe-inspiring as any piece of land in Colorado. Down at the extreme bottom, a series of twenty footbridges criss-crossed the blue stream while transporting the hemmed in hiker through a picturesque portal. Down there the problems began because the thrilling scenery and ease of passage were short-lived. The steep escape from such a fiery dungeon was a heart-pounding misadventure that was as brutal as climbing any fourteener. The way out was littered with thin ledges, vast drop offs and rock-cut stairwells. A more thoughtful approach was required in ord...

Cedar Waxwing We are in the middle of fall so most of the local birds have left for the season but some interesting species that we don’t normally see are currently passing through on their way south. Last week we watched as a flock of silky bandits raided fruit from the bushes that surround Evergreen Lake. The Cedar Waxwing is a beautiful bird painted with a shiny palette of brown, gray and lemon-yellow. It’s most striking characteristics are the regal crown, yellow-tipped tail, a devious black mask outlined in white and the brilliant-red wax droplets accenting the wing feathers. The happy, little gang of marauders gorged themselves on berries and other sugary fruit to the point of intoxication. A few of the birds ventured out over the water in order to capture tasty insects while still on the wing. They flitted about from branch to branch while calling to each other with a thin whistle and they took great delight in splashing around the shallow creek. Unfortunately, the la...

Spotted Towhee Rustling through the leaf litter below the dry scrub brush that laces the steep, Colorado foothills is where you’ll find a hefty sparrow known as the spotted towhee. Such beautiful birds, the males have a white belly, orange sides and a black head, throat and upper parts. The back and wings are flecked with white spots while the red eyes are the defining characteristic. During the early spring, those males creep up to the top of the thicket and sing all day long while trying to attract a mate. In the breeding season they eat mostly insects but they’ll also dine on acorns, berries and seeds. They’re nest cup is built deep inside a sharp briar and usually concealed somewhere near the base of the shrub. A close cousin, the eastern towhee, used to be considered the same bird as the spotted towhee and in the past they were called the rufous-sided towhee. During the last ice age large ice sheets split the continent down the middle, isolating the separate birds into ea...