Magical Morning on Red Lady (6 Jan 2015)
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Some things are worth waking up early for. For me, skiing is one of those things – most days anyway. Admittedly, I am not what many call “a morning person”. I don’t actually like getting up before the first rays of sun hit the mountains. But, sometimes for the sake of skiing I awaken and fumble around in the dark until I am warmed by the daylight.
Even though I am not “a morning person”, I recognize that winter mornings can be particularly beautiful. The stillness in the air, the frost on the trees, and the pink hues in the sky can paint a magical scene. But, every now and then we are blessed with even more magic. This was one such magical morning.
When I arrived to Alex’s house, it was still dark. But, it was a balmy 28-degrees Fahrenheit. Clouds hung close to the ground and I was uninspired by the grimness of the scene. But, I had hope – hope that the clouds were so low-hanging that we could climb above them. I’ve seen it before, though it’s not a common sight in Crested Butte.
We began skinning as twilight crept into the sky. We were quickly surrounded by fog but after awhile, we emerged to blue sky. The scene was surreal and as beautiful as a morning could possibly be. It was a magical morning after all.
The Castles are always spectacular. But, they were even more so on this morning.
The island of Mount Crested Butte 🙂
Whetstone surrounded by thick fog.
Axtell.
Another shot of the island of Mount Crested Butte, with fog hanging in the East and Brush Creek river valleys.
Alex skinning toward the top of Red Lady.
As we neared the summit of Mount Emmons (Red Lady), we could see that the fog also expanded deep into the Slate River and Washington Gulch valleys.
Yet clouds also clung to our high peaks of Ruby, Owen, and Purple.
Down valley, the fog showed no signs of dissipating.
We decided to make our way to the far side of Red Lady bowl.
Alex = Happy.
Alex dropping in.
Our tracks.
Even after we skied, the fog still hovered in the valleys.
Of course, we paused for a selfie. We couldn’t be happier.
And then we skied on down and into the fog.
What a magical morning on Red Lady. This one was definitely worth the pre-dawn awakening 🙂
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Wow, awesome pics Brittany!
Thanks Frank! It was a fabulous day!
i needed this with my coffee this morning 😉