Posts tagged Sunrise
Mt. Massive

An alpine start to enjoy sunrise on a 14er required getting to the trailhead for Mt. Massive by 3:30 am. The nearly full moon helped illuminate the trail and the many avalanche paths that were still melting away from the record spring snowfall. As we reached 13,000 ft we realized that we would not reach the summit before sunrise so we found a great viewpoint looking south towards Mt. Elbert. The subtle colors in the alpine glow were quickly overwhelmed by the strengthening sun, but not before we captured the first light.

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Longs Peak Milky Way

The best way to avoid the crowds in Rocky Mountain National Park is to visit in the offseason and at off hours. I wanted to capture the alignment of the Milky Way with Longs Peak while snow was still present so May was a good month to spend in the park under the stars. After reaching an almost empty parking lot I hiked up to my viewpoint that just managed to clear any foreground trees. I began this single long take at 10:30 pm and packed up after sunrise at 6:30 am. After the Moon set below the horizon, the Milky Way and Jupiter advanced across the night sky and provided me a good reason to skip sleeping. The bright glow at the horizon is light pollution from Boulder and Denver.

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Salem

Trading mountains for the ocean this Memorial Day weekend, I spent one morning on Winter Island in Salem, Massachusetts. The history of the island dates back to the 17th century and remained a fortification for several centuries to protect Salem Harbor. The Fort Pickering Light was built in in 1871, along with the Derby Wharf Light and the Hospital Point Light to aid mariners into the harbor.

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