Sunrise, Storm Factory

Ever since I read the fabulous Ghost Grizzlies by Doug Pederson, Beartown/Kite Lake has been a place of wonder for me. Getting to Beartown (one of... more

by Brian VanDenzen

Title

Sunrise, Storm Factory

Artist

Brian VanDenzen

Medium

Photograph - Photographic Print

Description

Ever since I read the fabulous "Ghost Grizzlies" by Doug Pederson, Beartown/Kite Lake has been a place of wonder for me. Getting to Beartown (one of the most isolated trailheads into the Weminuche Wilderness) is not an easy task, requiring a long and difficult drive over a 4 x 4 road. After the long drive, we spent a night camping at Kite Lake. Reviewing some maps that night, I found a small, off-trail ridge along the Continental Divide that would in theory allow me to spy sunrise over Storm King Mountain, Mt. Silex, and the Guardian, aka the Storm Factory, in the wild heart of the Weminuche Wilderness.

Getting an alpine start from Kite Lake, I woke up at 3:30 a.m. and hiked up a steep ridge towards the continental divide above the lake. It had been a stormy evening, and I was a bit nervous about heading well above tree line, partially off trail by myself, into an area I had never been before. But the effort was worth it, as I had one of those almost spiritual mornings deep in the mountains. I just barely reached my destination up the ridge, across alpine tundra, to the western flank of Hunchback Mountain at 12,800" in time for the light show above the Storm Factory. I quickly found the best composition I could find among the scree of the continental divide. The wind whipped the flowers as I shot them. No matter though, because the sunrise provided one of the absolute best displays of pink sky I've ever seen.

And like its name suggests, the clouds above the storm factory quickly coalesced within 30-minutes of sunrise into a threatening looking storm that eventually dropped some rain on me as I high-tailed across high tundra and eventually back down to Kite Lake. Thankfully, there was no signs of lightning. It was a magical experience that will linger with me a long time.

Uploaded

April 19th, 2020