January 2022
It was a chilly October morning as we drove into Estes Park on the outskirts of Rocky Mountain National Park about an hour and a half northwest of Denver, Colorado. Our friend Jordan, a local at the time and experienced hiker had our destination set for Emerald Lake. The moment we set off from the trailhead, it began snowing. I don't remember the snow falling particularly hard, but the size of the flakes themselves were mammoth. After about 45 minutes the snow completely stopped. The air was still. The trees perfectly coated with snow. The only sound was our boots on the trail. So we stopped and enjoyed the most serene nature. I believe this is Dream Lake just before Emerald Lake (there were several on the trail.) With the lake dramatically framed between snow dusted limbs, the fallen trunks guide the eyes across the water to the fog falling ominously down the tree line. This was my favorite image for a long time and served as the first landing page background on my website for 2 years.
This is part one of the story of my 2022 calendar. Check back on the first of every month for the back story and location of that stories image. I do still have a few calendars available, so let me know if you'd like one. This image and all of my calendar images were featured at last years Plaza Arts Festival and are available for purchase on several different mediums in my print shop.