Winter Bells

For many years, we had wanted to cross country ski into the Maroon Bells during the winter and capture these unique mountains in their winter coat of snow.

It was February of 2008 and the Friday evening forecast indicated a clear day to follow. Arising early Saturday morning, we left our home at 6:00 AM and drove straight to Aspen and up the Maroon Lake road to the end of the winter maintenance. By 9:00 AM we were underway, skiing on 4 - 6 inches of new, untracked snow. We were the first to head up this day.

Arriving at Maroon Lake just before noon, we broke out the camera and began shooting. This particular winter had seen heavy snows in the mountains and we found the peaks blanketed and the lower terrain around the lake buried in six to eight feet of snow. We marveled at the snowy landscape and the silence. Amazingly, we were here all alone.

Shortly before we took a break to eat some lunch, we took this photo. The clouds to the right signaled an approaching weather system. In fact, within another 45 minutes, as we skied out, the skies became completely overcast and gentle snow began to fall. We felt so fortunate to have enjoyed this brief glimpse of these magnificent peaks in all their winter glory.