This is the view we get when we overcome resistance, execute discipline and sit down at the desk to do some good work. How is this fair? I mean, at least go sleep in a pile of sweatshirts or something, but not here in the office next to the pencil and pen mug. I mean, go catch some mice or something.
Lost Lake is one of those hidden Chaffee County gems. You really have to know what you are looking for since there are no signs marking the trailhead. To find it, you go up Cottonwood Pass until you see a paved turn out on the right side of the road and a trail going into the woods on your left. Follow the trail over a few meandering hills, past another little lake, over a stream or two, to a steep uphill section that plows its way through undergrowth (most of that little section is spent ducking and protecting the lenses on our cameras). You emerge at the top of a little ridge and there before you lies the lake.
With emerald green water and a little island in the middle, I’m reminded of a secret place that you would go to as a kid to play. Maybe if you’ve read Swallows and Amazons you’d get a sense for it, but the lake is much smaller and beneath a cliff band that marks the Continental Divide. I’d love to bring a boat and go out to the island (I’m not brave enough to swim the waters in September, thank you very much). The view from above looks out on the lake with mountains framing it in beyond.
Peace. We encountered not a soul when strolling up. The only sounds were the wind rustling the pines and the dogs panting back and forth, occasionally whining at a stick they’d like us to throw.
Life. All around we saw wildflowers, green grass, shrubs, trees, lichen. Fish swam in the little streams. Marmots peeped amongst the scree. Horse hoofprints were imprinted in the mud of the path and on our way home, we crossed paths with several other families taking a stroll to the lake.
If you are thinking about going to Lost Lake, September and October seem like the perfect months to do it. Much later and the snowfall may close off the road to the pass. Much earlier and you risk sharing the solitude with other summertime hikers seeking their own solace.
After seeing our local hardcore band play at the first Collegiate Peaks Music Festival, I knew that they would be the subject of my first music video. It was supposed to have two or three storylines but it was taking a long time so we settled on the footage from the Coyote Cantina instead. This was all supposed to be secondary footage for the piece, but it seems to work ok. Enjoy.
Finally got this little video piece of Lucy and Sienna out for a morning of stick chasing on the Whipple Trail in February. Just watching it makes me cold. So glad its summer!
Ahhh spring. The day dawned partly cloudy, but warm. The light played off of the trees and buildings as we rode slowly down the street taking in all of the activity. But the trees, the trees. Explosions of color accompanied perfumed air as we rode past the fruit trees bursting with blossoms. We heard buzzing most of the time and watched our native pollinators go at it with legs heavy and yellow with pollen.
If you are like us, stuck in an office all day with the computer to keep you company, I highly recommend that you get OUT of the office and take a long walk or bike ride. Leave the car at home. You’ll pass the blossoms too quickly and air from your vents won’t do the sweet scents justice. You’ll also miss the experience of getting close, letting the color fill your eyes, and you won’t be able to circumnavigate the tree, watching the streets and buildings around it with dynamic perspective.
Besides, you just might pass a friend on the sidewalk.
The day should have been warm. The sun shone brightly overhead, the skies were a deep blue and it was March at Monarch Mountain. I shivered as we waited for the first of the competitors of the Big Air competition to take the big hit at the bottom and fly through the air.
I like this competition in particular because it features local kids on the Monarch Freeride Team (check out their website: www.option23.org) as well as riders of all levels coming in from other parts of the state. Kids of all ages go huge off the big jump at the bottom of “Aftershock” terrain park. Expertise varies as some competitors are content with a simple grab while others get inverted. Its all in good fun and the crowd is supportive of each trick. The coaches know their stuff and even have digital media that covers the basics of the tricks they are teaching.
Vistas abound at the top of the divide and provide a beautiful backdrop to the floating skiers and snowboarders.
For more info, check out Channel BV. The Big Air comp is coming up this weekend. You’ll probably see me there with my camera…
Lach, our local Buena Vista musher, just finished his second Iditarod, having started four of the grueling races. I had the opportunity to photograph some of his team two years back. I also included some of the photos he took from the back of the sled. Check out ChannelBV.net for a link to the Iditarod site. Enjoy.
I’m getting so excited for next weekend! Leadville plays host to ski joring, a throwback to days in Scandinavia when people would get pulled to town on their skis by reindeer. Today’s courses are a little bit more exciting, though, and Leadville’s course is especially exciting since it is a non-sanctioned race and being non-sanctioned, they can do pretty much whatever they want. Like hold the event on Leadville’s main drag, Harrison Ave. The buildings are tall and frame the street nicely, the spectators stand behind fencing mere feet from the athletes, and if you happen to slide into a lightpost, well….
So, one skier and one horse and rider get paired together. The rider rides their horse blazingly fast down the middle of the street (that is covered in a thick layer of imported snow). The skier (whose arm is wrapped in a rope trailing from the galloping horse) navigates tight turns, magnificent jumps (all the while eating snow that is flung into their face from the horse’s back hooves) and has to stay focused enough to collect six or seven hanging rings along the way. Of course the whole thing is timed, and to add to the pressure, bystanders are allowed to bet on your team.
So, if this doesn’t sound like fun, I’m not sure what would. If you really want to get a feeling for what this is like, this link will take you to a 12 minute video documentary on the event.
My favorite part about ski joring is the family-like qualities that all the competitors possess towards one another. They take care of each other like brethren. The riders really love and care for their animals well. The skiers love their side of the bargain, tearing down main street and going huge off the jumps. Ski Joring is a marvelous harmony of two seemingly disconnected events.
I had the opportunity to attend the BV vs Salida games on Tuesday. The streets were icing over as we walked through the crowded parking lot to the gym, but inside, the energy of the players and the cross-valley rivalry crowds really heated the place. The varsity girls game was already going when we walked in…the BV Lady Demons pretty much ruled the entire game with little apparent effort. 
The boys had a slightly rougher go of things and the Salida crowd left with grins on their faces. 
And the pep band played on…
The leafless aspens provided a stark contrast against the brilliant blue sky — especially with a polarized filter attached. I love the texture and starkness of this shot.
