Chasing Sunsets in the Weminuche

June/July 2022  |  Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado

After a dry and extremely windy spring, this summer so far a strong monsoon weather pattern has settled in over the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, bringing much needed rain along with plenty of lightning and thunder. For the last days of June, my wife Claudia and I backpacked into the Weminuche Wilderness south of Silverton for three days of hiking, exploring, and sitting in the tent to wait out storms (and mosquitos!). Then a week later in early July I returned to the same area again for another chance to pursue some photo opportunities I missed on the first trip! Here is a collection of photos from these two backpack trips.

Rainy weather above a lake in the Weminuche Wilderness.

Rainy weather above a lake in the Weminuche Wilderness.

A curiously curving cloud drops rain on the San Juan Mountains.

A curiously curving cloud drops rain on the San Juan Mountains.

The setting sun reflects in a high tarn.

The setting sun reflects in a high tarn.

A sunflower backlit by the setting sun in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

A sunflower backlit by the setting sun in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

Rich sunset light illuminates North Twilight Peak and the high tundra.

Rich sunset light illuminates North Twilight Peak and the high tundra.

The setting sun pokes through storm clouds and shines on many high tundra ponds.

The setting sun pokes through storm clouds and shines on many high tundra ponds.

Engineer Mountain glows pink at sunrise above a remote lake in the Weminuche Wilderness. After sunrise a marmot near the lake...

Engineer Mountain glows pink at sunrise above a remote lake in the Weminuche Wilderness. After sunrise a marmot near the lake was whistling nonstop, which inspired the title of the photo!

Engineer Mountain at sunrise, with some storm clouds approaching in the distance - June.

Engineer Mountain at sunrise, with some storm clouds approaching in the distance - June.

A week later I came back to the same area for another overnight trip to return to a high ridge that I last photographed at sunset 15 years ago - this time with a more promising weather forecast than during our previous backpack trip. Up top I was treated to a fantastic sunset light show! (Along with a fellow photographer named David from Sacramento, who had the same idea that evening!).

A spectacular sunset over the west side of the Needle Mountains, which rise dramatically over 5,500 vertical feet above the Animas...

A spectacular sunset over the west side of the Needle Mountains, which rise dramatically over 5,500 vertical feet above the Animas River valley. Perhaps the most rugged mountain range in Colorado, the Needle Mountains are composed of pink granite (visible also in the foreground here) forged from ~1.5 billion year old Precambrian basement rock - much older than the ~30 million year old volcanic rock that forms much of the rest of the surrounding San Juan Mountains.

I'd love to make a giant wall-sized mural of the above pano... Not only would it be insanely detailed at this stitched-pano resolution, but it reminds me of so many fond memories from all the adventures I've had over the years tromping around amongst those peaks and valleys.

Pigeon Peak (13,972 ft) glows in dusk light after sunset, the warm light enhanced by a 25-second exposure. Though just shy of...

Pigeon Peak (13,972 ft) glows in dusk light after sunset, the warm light enhanced by a 25-second exposure. Though just shy of the 14,000 ft mark, I think it's safe to say that Pigeon Peak is a far mightier peak than the vast majority of famous Colorado 14ers.

Although it took me two attempts, I'm stoked on the scenes and moments I got to photograph and the adventures along the way!