Photo Friday: A Warm Sunrise

After a chilly night in a tent at North Inlet Junction along the North Inlet trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, my hiking partner Dave and I woke up around 3 am to hike 3.5 miles uphill to Lake Nanita and Lake Nokoni. It was a clear night and the stars shone like a blanket across the dark sky. An occasional bat flew over our heads as the trail ducked into the forest. We first passed Lake Nokoni in the dark and then made our way to Lake Nanita, arriving just before sunrise. I setup on the southeastern shore and waited for the sun to warm Ptarmigan Mountain before me. Just as the mountain began to glow red, a breeze came up and disturbed the reflection of the mountain in the lake. The mountain only glowed for a minute or two and then the bright sun began to creep down the mountain. I packed up and Dave and I made our way back down to Lake Nokoni for a short rest before heading on to Ptarmigan Lake.

Technical Details:
Canon SL1, 10-22 ef-s lens, f/9, 10 sec., 2-stop soft Singh-Ray ND Grad
Lake Nanita, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado