Aspen Immersion

October 2022  |  Colorado

Autumn really put on a show this year in Colorado, with snowy peaks and brilliant aspen colors. Most notably, the golden aspen colors were nearly two weeks late and lasted for longer into October than I ever remember happening before. (Which likely had something to do with the abundance of moisture from the remarkably wet summer and autumn this year). I spent quite some time immersing myself in the aspen ambiance on a variety of day hikes mostly in the San Juan Mountains near Telluride, along with a long backpack trip in the West Elk Mountains near Paonia.

Please enjoy my favorite photos from this autumn season below!

A foggy autumn morning in Ridgway as the first snows of early October cake the Sneffels Range beyond.
Ridgway Autumn Fog

A foggy autumn morning in Ridgway as the first snows of early October cake the Sneffels Range beyond.

A trail winds through a golden aspen forest.
Golden Trail

A trail winds through a golden aspen forest.

A classic postcard view of autumn aspens surrounding the town of Telluride in early October, as brilliant sunset light illuminates...
Telluride Autumn Sunset

A classic postcard view of autumn aspens surrounding the town of Telluride in early October, as brilliant sunset light illuminates the peaks above.

Endless aspen forest below the San Miguel Range - October.
Cloudy Aspens

Endless aspen forest below the San Miguel Range - October.

Autumn sunset over the San Miguel Range near Telluride - October.
San Miguel Aspen Sunset

Autumn sunset over the San Miguel Range near Telluride - October.

The highlight of this autumn for me was a solo 3-day, 28-mile backpack trek circumnavigating a giant basin filled with endless aspen forests in the West Elk Wilderness between the towns of Paonia and Crested Butte. In much of Colorado it's difficult to plan a long backpack trip amongst the aspens, since most aspen forests are usually fairly accessible by roads and day hiking; but the West Elk Wilderness is one area where you can get lost in wild and remote aspen forests!

Golden light in golden aspens deep in the West Elk Wilderness.
Evening in the Aspens

Golden light in golden aspens deep in the West Elk Wilderness.

Colorado, West Elk Mountains, West Elk Wilderness, aspens, Sony A7Riv, October, 2022, large prints
Supernova
Morning at camp amongst giant aspens.
Forest Bedroom

Morning at camp amongst giant aspens.

On the first evening of my trek in the West Elks I was pleased to find this cozy campspot atop a small hill populated by huge mature aspens. Aspen forests are so inviting, I felt like I was spending an evening with friendly spirits.

Hillsides of backlit aspens in the West Elk Wilderness - October.
Golden Blanket

Hillsides of backlit aspens in the West Elk Wilderness - October.

Moonset and sunrise earthshadow over the West Elk Mountains and a giant basin full of aspens.
Aspens for Miles

Moonset and sunrise earthshadow over the West Elk Mountains and a giant basin full of aspens.

The panorama above shows much of the terrain I backpacked through. I basically did a big counter-clockwise loop all the way around this giant basin, continuing even further around an additional half of the basin off the right side of the photo, for a total of 28 miles of walking mostly through aspens.



I'm sure many outdoor photographers agree that fall colors are a highlight of the year for us. To make a metaphor that skiers can relate to, fall colors are like the "powder days" of our photographic year. We look forward to it for months, and when the colors finally start changing we are giddy with excitement and anticipation. We compulsively check fall color reports on social media every day, just like skiers obsessively check snow reports and forecasts. As the colors get closer to peak, a frantic autumn fever kicks in with an acute desire to capture every place and every moment, along with perhaps an intense feeling of FOMO if we miss a spectacular morning or sunset but see it plastered all over social media, or hopefully a deep thrill and satisfaction if we do manage to capture some successful photos. It's the exact same nervous energy that skiers know on the morning of a powder day, whether they are lucky enough to be there for first tracks, or stuck inside while everyone else is out tracking up the powder.

While the autumn fever is part of the fun, it can border on being stressful at times too. Particularly this year with the late arrival of color, patience was the number one challenge! It felt like being in line at a ski resort on a powder day morning, only to have the lift opening delayed by hours.

I think it's important to try to not get totally carried away by autumn photo fever to the point where it ruins the fun or obscures a simple appreciation for the sheer beauty of being outside in the mountains amongst the aspens. In fact that is always a challenge of nature photography in general – to pursue our photographic creativity and goals while simultaneously being able to preserve that basic gratitude and openness to our natural surroundings. In the end, the personal experience and connection to nature is the most important thing of all; the photographs are just the icing on the cake (or the powder on the slope)!

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