Kevin Palmer

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  • The colors of sunset linger behind Bearhat Mountain in Glacier National Park. The beautiful Hidden Lake wraps around the base of the mountain, before the creek drops to the valley below. Normally there is more snow in this view, but most of it had melted after a hot summer. The distant Gunsight Mountain and Sperry Glacier can be seen on the left.
    Bearhat Mountain
  • Ever since I saw the strange name (Leaky Mountain) on a map, I was intrigued by it. Located in the northern Bighorn Mountains, I could find little information about this waterfall online and no pictures. But I soon realized the reason: there's no easy way here. On the last weekend of April I took advantage of the warm weather and set out to find it. From the trailhead on the MT/WY border it's a 19 mile roundtrip hike, and I camped downstream. The next morning I climbed to the base, but there was no trail to follow, with steep terrain and thick vegetation lying between me and the falls. Numerous thorns, snowbanks, loose talus, water crossings and mud all had to be navigated around as I followed my ears to the source of the stream. Snowmelt and groundwater seeps into the limestone cliffs from above. Cold, pure spring water gushes out of the side of the mountain in multiple cascades. Behind me stretched out a panoramic view of Little Horn Canyon and the higher snowcapped peaks. With all the difficulty in reaching this place, once I finally got here I didn't want to leave.
    Leaky Mountain Falls
  • Snow drifts blow across a treeless meadow in the Bighorn Mountains. In the distance is Medicine Mountain. The Medicine Wheel at the top was built by Native Americans thousands of years ago, and there is also an FAA radar used to track flights.
    Medicine Mountain Drifts
  • It wasn't a bad sunrise at Squaw Mountain right before I hiked back to my car.
    Squaw Mountain Sunrise
  • Sheep Mountain has been on my list of peaks to climb for awhile. In the summer it's possible to drive to the top of this 9,610' mountain. But that's too easy, so I went in the winter. Snow depths varied from bare ground to drifts 15 feet high. After snowshoeing an exhausting 6 miles while carrying a heavy pack, I made it to the top with barely enough time to pitch a tent before dark. The summit itself is too rocky and exposed to the wind, but I found a nearby campsite that was flat enough and more sheltered. At sunrise the next morning the views were incredible. Looking east, I could see parts of the Black Hills well over 100 miles away. When the sun made it over the horizon, it was only visible for a couple minutes. But this ephemeral light show was worth all the effort to get here.
    Sheep Mountain Sunrise
  • While on the summit of the 9,500 feet high Black Mountain, I watched this thunderstorm recede into the distance.
    Black Mountain View
  • As I came back into Sundance, the sun came out and this rainbow appeared, perfectly aligned over Sundance Mountain.
    Sundance Mountain Rainbow
  • Crepuscular rays shine on the high plains of Wyoming shortly after sunrise as seen from the top of Sheep Mountain.
    Sheep Mountain Rays
  • After descending Loaf Mountain, I came across these wildflowers at 11,000 feet.
    Loaf Mountain Wildflowers
  • This meadow below "Grandma's Mountain" is one of many scenic views along the Penrose Trail near the town of Story.
    Grandma's Mountain
  • A lenticular cloud hangs above Hesse Mountain at 3AM as seen from Powder River Pass. Lenticular clouds are sculpted by the wind and form repeatedly over the same area, usually a mountain peak. In the upper right of this panorama is Jupiter, with the bright star Vega on the top left.
    Hesse Mountain Lenticular
  • As I was packing up my tent this halo appeared around the sun. This is near the top of Sheep Mountain, Wyoming.
    Sheep Mountain Halo
  • A colorful rainbow glows above a dirt road near Hunt Mountain in the Bighorns.
    Hunt Mountain Rainbow
  • I've been wanting to get an image like this for a long time. But it's been several years since we've had a comet this bright. This comet named 46P/Wirtanen was discovered in 1948 and will make it's closest approach to Earth next week. I had my doubts that this picture would happen. The comet would only be positioned above this snowy mountain for 3 nights at most. Even rarer than a clear night in December, I needed a night with no wind. But at 2AM on December 7th, everything came together. The temperature hovered around 0°F; it was a frosty nostril kind of night. When I first arrived in the Bighorn Mountains the comet was just visible to the naked eye, but the best view was through binoculars. In my pictures, it's about 2-3X the angular size of the moon. To make this image I captured a series of 6 shots using a star tracking mount. I had to be careful to align everything as accurately as possible while processing.
    Comet and Mountain
  • The views at sunrise were stunning from the Granite Butte fire lookout on Montana's continental divide. Red Mountain is the tallest peak on the left.
    Red Mountain Morning
  • Clouds swirl around Loaf Mountain before sunset as seen from the High Park lookout.
    Loaf Mountain Panorama
  • I got an early start climbing Coyote Mountain in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. It was going to be a very hot day, but the temperature was much more pleasant in the morning. The just past full moon set in the west while I climbed a ridge in between 2 canyons.
    Coyote Mountain Bloom
  • The milky way glows behind Loaf Mountain at Old Crow Lake in the Cloud Peak Wilderness.
    Loaf Mountain Milky Way
  • A colorful sunset fills the sky south of Casper Mountain.
    Behind Casper Mountain
  • While climbing Ryan Mountain, I got a great view of a distant thunderstorm, along with shadows and sunlight. The road at the bottom is Park Boulevard.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Ryan Mountain Panorama
  • The winds were howling on this November day at Loveland Pass, Colorado. It is located at 12,000 feet on the Continental Divide. When I climbed a nearby mountain right after this I experienced the strongest winds I've ever felt. If I leaned forward at a 45 degree angle, the wind would keep me from falling over.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 11/8/2013
    Mountain Gusts B&W
  • Reynolds Mountain glows from the last light of the day in Glacier National Park, Montana. This small pond can be found above Logan Pass, along the Hidden Lake trail. There was not much snow remaining on the peaks after a long hot summer.
    Reynolds Mountain
  • Blacktooth Mountain and Cloud Peak glow in the light of sunset on a windy evening. This view is from Soldier Ridge west of Sheridan and in the valley below is the small ranching community of Beckton.
    Bighorn Mountain Majesty
  • The winds were howling on this November day at Loveland Pass, Colorado. It is located at 12,000 feet on the Continental Divide. When I climbed a nearby mountain right after this I experienced the strongest winds I've ever felt. If I leaned forward at a 45 degree angle, the wind would keep me from falling over.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 11/8/2013
    Mountain Gusts
  • Buck Mountain in the Tetons glows in the early morning light as seen from the Glacier View turnout.
    Buck Mountain
  • During a heat wave I always like heading up to the Bighorn Mountains to cool down. I kept driving until I could go no higher. This highway, (14A) was opened for the season at the end of May and many snow drifts still remained. Darkness arrives very slowly this time of year, so I made some coffee and waited. After 11PM the blues of twilight finally faded away. Nights like this are rare at this elevation. No cold, wind, clouds, haze or anything else spoiled the view. It was perfect for stargazing. No matter how many times I see it, I'm always blown away by the sight of the milky way rising in a dark sky. Glittering star clusters, clouds of dust both dark and bright, glowing nebulae of all colors filled the scene. The more you look the more you see. A star tracking mount was used to counteract earth's rotation, allowing me to capture this highly-detailed image.
    Hunt Mountain Milky Way
  • Over the last month I've been staying closer to home for obvious reasons. But I'm grateful to have places like this nearby. Lately I've been visiting blocks of public land out on the plains where the snow has already melted. From here I set off cross-country, not following a specific trail. There's a certain freedom that's felt when exploring without a destination in mind. With expectations low, I simply head wherever looks most interesting. From the top of a high hill this is the stunning view I found looking west. The town of Buffalo is tucked away behind the hills but this perspective makes it look like there's nothing around. Cloud Peak at 13,167' is the tallest in the Bighorn Mountains, and it holds the last remaining glacier in the range. The summit is also the 3rd most topographically prominent in the entire Rockies. The flat-topped mountain is flanked by the more jagged Bomber Mountain on the left and Mount Woolsey on the right. I rarely create black and white images, but some scenes are just meant for it.
    From the Hills to the Mountains
  • The air felt heavy and still. As it rotated closer, this supercell seemed to grow wings. Within a couple of minutes Sundance Mountain was swallowed up by the precipation core. The 'calm before the storm' does not happen with every storm, but when it does it's very noticeable. Then a giant bolt of lightning struck out of frame, with a deafening thunder shattering the silence. An errant hailstone, big enough to leave a bruise, bounced off of the ground with a thud. It was time to move. This cell turned out to be an ice machine, piling up baseball-sized hail on the road, and making the temperature plummet which created hail fog. Chasing storms in and around the Black Hills has it's challenges. Winding roads through hilly terrain makes viewpoints limited and cell signal sporadic. But when everything comes together just right, the structure and color of the storms around here are incredible.
    Swallowing Mountains Whole
  • The last light of the day covers Black Mountain in a golden glow. I was wishing I was up there for the sunset, but I had to settle for this view from below near my campsite. I would climb the mountain the next morning.
    Black Mountain Glow
  • A lenticular cloud hangs above Cloud Peak and Blacktooth Mountain, both exceeding 13,000 feet. These smooth, lens-shaped clouds are sometimes mistaken for UFO's. Lenticular clouds are formed when strong winds carrying moist, stable air is forced upward upon encountering an obstacle like a mountain. A series of standing waves results on the downwind side of the mountain, and a lenticular cloud will form at the crest of the waves if the temperature is below the dew point. These clouds are stationary, but they can quickly grow and shrink. This view from the 9500 foot summit of Black Mountain was not easy to reach. It involved snowshoeing 12 miles roundtrip, camping at the base, and climbing the mountain in the dark to make it in time for sunrise. I sheltered on the east side of the fire lookout to stay out of the face-stinging winds. Thankfully only the very top of the peak was exposed to the wind, and it was much calmer below at my campsite.
    Crown of Gold
  • The colors of sunset linger behind Bearhat Mountain in Glacier National Park. The beautiful Hidden Lake wraps around the base of the mountain, before the creek drops to the valley below. Normally there is more snow in this view, but most of it had melted after a hot summer. The distant Gunsight Mountain and Sperry Glacier can be seen on the left.
    Hidden Lake View
  • Ever since I saw this mountain engulfed by a storm earlier in the summer, I was hoping to have a chance to get some better pictures of it. There's something about a lone isolated mountain that's just begging to be photographed under the stars. There are at least 10 Square Buttes in Montana, and this one isn't even the most popular. That makes it hard to find information on it. In case you didn't know, a butte is a flat-topped mountain with steep sides. This particular Square Butte rises 2600 feet above a town with the same name and a population of 20. Finding the right spot to place my tripod isn't always easy. I needed to be NNE of the butte, not too close and not too far with no hills or anything else in my way. There was no time to waste since the milky way and Jupiter were in position as soon as it got dark. The milky way won't be visible for too much longer before it passes behind the sun for the winter. To get a sharper picture I took a 12-minute exposure of the mountain and combined it with a shorter exposure of the sky.
    Galactic Butte
  • The colors of sunset linger behind Bearhat Mountain in Glacier National Park. The beautiful Hidden Lake wraps around the base of the mountain, before the creek drops to the valley below. Normally there is more snow in this view, but most of it had melted after a hot summer. The distant Gunsight Mountain and Sperry Glacier can be seen on the left.
    Bearhat and Hidden Lake
  • I find it hard to sleep while backpacking when this is above my head. This part of Missouri has very dark skies, the only problem is the thick forests leave few places to see the stars clearly. But the top of Bald Knob in Buford Mountain Conservation Area was the perfect place to spend the night and photograph the stars.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: May 6, 2014
    Sleep Eludes Me
  • I went on a longer hike than expected in the Bear Lodge Mountains, about 10 miles. But I didn't want to stop until I found this view, looking down into Sundance. Sundance Mountain is the closer peak with Inyan Kara Mountain on the far right.
    Overlooking Sundance
  • In early January I spotted this pair of lenticular clouds in the Bighorn Mountains, and I reached a lookout just in time to watch them light up after sunset. These lens-shaped clouds appear to remain stationary, and are fascinating to watch. When strong winds flow over a mountain range, the air gets deflected and standing waves are formed on the lee (downwind) side. If there is enough moisture in the air, then the crest of the wave condenses into a cloud. Mountain waves can cause severe turbulence in passing aircraft. Even though these waves may be present in clear air, lenticular clouds serve as a visual warning to pilots to stay away. UFO sightings have been attributed to these clouds as well, since many of them do resemble flying saucers.
    Stacked Plates
  • On a September morning the Bighorn Mountains were shrouded in clouds. But this was the view from the top of Black Mountain.
    Waves of Clouds
  • This was the view above Mistymoon Lake in the Cloud Peak Wilderness on Friday night. After hiking past this spot on the first day of my backpacking trip, I knew I would have to pitch my tent here the second night. When storms rolled through around 6:30, I was beginning to doubt if there would be a good sunset. But then the sun broke through in the west. First the sunlight painted the lower slopes of Bomber Mountain a salmon hue, but then the colors intensified further. There's something magical about a sunset at 10,000 feet. The mountain got it's name after a B-17 bomber crashed there during World War II. The crash site wasn't found until after the war and the wreckage still remains today.
    Mistymoon Panorama
  • This was the view above Mistymoon Lake in the Cloud Peak Wilderness on Friday night. After hiking past this spot on the first day of my backpacking trip, I knew I would have to pitch my tent here the second night. When storms rolled through around 6:30, I was beginning to doubt if there would be a good sunset. But then the sun broke through in the west. First the sunlight painted the lower slopes of Bomber Mountain a salmon hue, but then the colors intensified further. There's something magical about a sunset at 10,000 feet. The mountain got it's name after a B-17 bomber crashed there during World War II. The crash site wasn't found until after the war and the wreckage still remains today.
    Mistymoon Sunset
  • The views opened up as I reached the summit of Big Pryor Mountain. East Pryor Mountain can be seen in the distance.
    Big Pryor Summit
  • There's nothing quite like spending the night on top of a mountain. High above any haze and light pollution, the air up here is extra clear. Stars stretch from horizon to horizon. Their slow and steady movement is interrupted by the quick flashes of meteors and satellites. This time of year the milky way is up completely by the time it gets dark. Normally camping on a peak is not an option since it's too exposed to the wind and storms, plus the ground is too rocky and sloped to set up a tent. That's why I like to stay in fire lookout towers when possible. This particular one (Sheep Mountain in the Bighorns) is very popular and has to be reserved months in advance. The accommodations may be rustic but I prefer this to any hotel. You simply can't beat the views.
    Night on the Summit
  • This snow covered wall is on the west side of Peak 10215 in the Bighorn Mountains. Loaf Mountain can be seen in the distance.
    Snow Wall
  • The Pryor Mountains are not a very large or tall range. But they hold lots of wonders including several mysterious ice caves. At this elevation (8,600') any snow would have melted away months ago. But snow and ice stays beneath the ground year round. The Crater Ice Cave is one of the harder caves to reach because it requires an 1,800 foot climb to the highest peak, Big Pryor Mountain. The cave is located just below the summit and has a side entrance as well as a skylight entrance overhead.
    Subterranean Snow
  • The pyramid shaped shadow of Black Mountain grew larger as the sun set behind me. The views are amazing from this 9500' peak in the northern Bighorn Mountains. Climbing it in June is about 10X easier than the last time I climbed it in January.
    Black Shadow
  • A lenticular cloud hangs above Hesse Mountain at 3AM as seen from Powder River Pass. Lenticular clouds are sculpted by the wind and form repeatedly over the same area, usually a mountain peak.
    Space Invader
  • It was just me and a marmot on the summit of Burroughs Mountain admiring this view of Mount Rainier at sunset. The enormity of this mountain is humbling. Rainier is the most prominent peak in the lower US and the most glaciated containing rivers of ice up to 750 feet thick. This volcano is dormant, but not extinct, and it holds the potential for major destruction if it erupts. The greatest hazard wouldn't necessarily be a lava flow, but what's known as a "lahar." A lahar is a mud and debris flow caused by magma destabilizing the rock and rapidly melting snow and ice. These mudflows can travel many miles (as far as the Puget Sound) and signs in the campground warn visitors to head uphill in the event of an earthquake or a rumbling sound. After spending a week in Washington, this was the first sunset I saw that wasn't extremely smoky. It was a long hike back by headlamp, but the pictures were worth it.
    Rainier Sunset Panorama
  • Nearly 2 miles high in the Cloud Peak Wilderness is a place called Highland Park. Ever since someone told me about it last fall I've been wanting to visit. But it is not easy to reach. The trailhead starts at the end of a long and rough dirt road. After hiking 7 miles, deep snow drifts covered the last mile of trail. With lots of post-holing, my shoes were soon soaked through. But it was worth the effort to get here. The highest peaks of the Bighorn Mountains towered to to the south providing an incredible panoramic view. From left to right is Penrose Peak, Sawtooth Ridge, Mount Woolsey, and Blacktooth Mountain. With over 50 elk grazing in the meadow below I opted to setup camp a little higher instead. Other than the sound of a distant waterfall and the occasional elk call, it was perfectly silent. This was the view of the alpenglow at sunrise the next morning.
    Highland Park Sunrise
  • The milky way was shining brilliantly on the morning of summer solstice, the shortest night of the year. Thin clouds were making haloes around the brighter stars and the planet Saturn. A long exposure revealed colors invisible to the human eye, including green airglow and purple nebulae. There wasn't a meteor shower going on, but I captured this bright random meteor in one of the time lapse frames. On any given night there are an average of 6 sporadic meteors per hour visible under a dark sky. The skies here were very dark, with amazing views of the Bighorn Mountains in every direction. This was taken from a fire lookout tower on the 9,500' summit of Black Mountain.
    Solstice Meteor
  • This was the view from the lower slope of Coyote Mountain with Clark Dry Lake and the Santa Rosa Mountains in the distance.
    Above Clark Dry Lake
  • Icebergs fill up the fjord below Qingaq Mountain, as seen from the summit of Ukkusissat Mountain.
    Icebergs of Qingaq
  • The Squaw Mountain Fire Lookout Tower is just 25 miles west of Denver and has a great view of the city lights coming on. The fog and clouds quickly cleared out as it got darker.
    Denver At Twilight
  • Bald Knob is the only part of Buford Mountain Conservation Area that has a view through the thick trees. The spectacular view is to the west, perfect for watching the sunset over the Belleview Valley.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: May 5, 2014
    Bald Knob Dusk
  • When the lightning rod at the top of Black Mountain started buzzing, I knew I had to descend to escape the lightning danger. But I'm glad I returned afterwards, because the  sunset was incredible. Mammatus filled the sky as the storm cleared and it took on an orange color as the sun lowered. All the smoke in the air added to the surreal atmosphere. The fire lookout structure was recently closed to the public because it's fallen into disrepair.
    Lookout Above
  • Steamboat Point is a well-known mountain on the east side of the Bighorns, next to Highway 14. I've watched the sunset from the top more times than I can count. But this time I wanted to capture the boulders which sit below the cliff face. These boulders are massive. They're bigger than houses, more like the size of office buildings. I can only imagine what it would have looked and sounded like when they fall. The rock is a razor-sharp dolomite and the area is popular with rock climbers.
    Big Boulders
  • I found it hard to stop hiking this day, putting in 17 miles by the time I got back to my car. It was my last evening in Washington, and the views were incredible from the Sunrise area of Mount Rainier National Park. This view is from First Burroughs Mountain, looking towards Second Burroughs Mountain and the glaciers beyond.
    The Trail Beckons
  • After not being able to see the sun at all the previous day, this morning dawned crystal clear at Squaw Mountain. But it was very windy with lots of blowing snow. At night I measured a wind chill as low as -40°F.
    The Winds of Dawn
  • These colorful wildflowers were blooming near the top of Big Pryor Mountain.
    Pryor Wildflowers
  • The setting sun casts a golden glow on the boulders beneath the summit of Black Mountain.
    Golden Boulders
  • The view was amazing from the High Park lookout tower shortly before sunset. This is the view looking north. Meadowlark Lake can be seen on the left. Bighorn Peak and Loaf Mountain are the prominent peaks on the right.
    North of High Park
  • Snow covers the granite summit of Black Mountain. The fire lookout can be seen perched at the top of the 9500 foot peak.
    Snowy Granite
  • Fueled by hot, dry weather and gusty winds, it only took a day and a half for the Apple Fire to explode to 32 square miles. As the forest went up in flames, the plume of smoke ballooned to 25,000 feet. That's more than twice the height of San Gorgonio Mountain, Southern California's highest peak seen in the middle of this photo. The behavior of this fire is extreme enough to make it's own weather. Pyrocumulus is a type of cloud formed when intense heat creates an updraft similar to a thunderstorm. Pyrocumulus lofts embers high into the air, creates strong unpredictable outflow winds at the surface, and in rare cases even generates lightning. The same phenomena is seen in volcanic eruptions. All of this hampers firefighting efforts and causes the flames to expand even more. But even in the devastation, there was beauty. From my vantage point northwest of the blaze, the smoke plume took on a deep red glow at sunset before the 97% full moon rose above it.
    Pyrocumulus Moon
  • Kirkjufellsfoss is one of the most iconic scenes in Iceland. Just Google "Iceland" and see how many times it shows up. The name translates to "church mountain waterfall" because of the peak's nearly perfect symmetrical shape. There is a trail (if it can be called that) leading to the top of Kirkjufell which is one of the steepest I've ever hiked. In the evening, tour buses stop here and this small spot is filled with hordes of tourists and photographers lined up tripod to tripod to capture the sunset. But I wanted to avoid that so I came back in the morning when it was much quieter. There was a storm moving in and the sunrise didn't look very promising. But the eastern sky took on an orange glow for a short time.
    Kirkjufellsfoss Sunrise
  • The High Park fire lookout tower at almost 9,500 feet was the perfect place to watch the April full moon rising. It was a location I scouted out in advance on Google Earth, when I was looking for an ideal foreground to the east. The two peaks are Hesse Mountain on the left and Hazelton Pyramid on the right. If you look closely to the upper right of the moon the planet Jupiter can be seen. Winter is far from over here in the high country. The 3 feet of snow made it a challenge to find a route to the summit since I had never climbed this peak before. But it was much easier on the way down since I could simply follow my snowshoe tracks and the bright moonlight meant I didn't even need a headlamp.
    April Moonrise
  • Stars rise above Black Mountain on a cold winter night.
    Black Night
  • There were many sharp agave and cholla plants on the summit of Coyote Mountain in Anza Borrego Desert State Park.
    Agave and Cholla
  • The milky way shines brightly above Black Tooth Mountain while airglow gives a green tint to the sky.
    Blacktooth Milky Way
  • The Big Horn fireworks display is seen with Blacktooth Mountain in the background.
    Fireworks Under Blacktooth
  • All morning long I watched fascinating lenticular clouds form around Squaw Mountain. This view is looking at Longs Peak.
    Longs Peak Lenticular
  • All night long a strong westerly wind pushed all the ice across Elk Lake and piled it up on the eastern shore. But the wind calmed down at sunrise which allowed for a reflection of Cloud Peak and Bomber Mountain in the water.
    Elk Lake Sunrise
  • This is the view from the top of Loaf Mountain at 11,722'. There was no trail, so I had to pay close attention to the map while hiking 3.5 miles to the summit. The view from the top wasn't as clear as it could have been because of wildfire smoke from Montana.
    Smoky Summit
  • This crumbling spire is on the west side of Heart Mountain, seen from the summit.
    Crumbling Spire
  • Wildflowers covered the side of Heart Mountain near the base of the large cliff.
    Heart Cliff
  • These horses were grazing by my campsite near a 4WD road in the Big Horn Mountains. I wanted to find somewhere to camp with a view of the snowcapped 13,005 feet high Black Tooth Mountain in the distance. Out of the herd of 7 horses, these two were obviously a couple. I waited for them to walk into the late evening sunlight before I shot their portrait.
    Inseperable
  • A waterfall is illuminated under the moonlit sky. The peak in the background is the 8,760 foot Clements Mountain.
    Glacier Moonlight
  • From left to right is Cloud Peak, Bomber Mountain, Mistymoon Lake, Florence Pass, and Lake Marion. This was a much different view with all the snow and ice compared to the last time I saw it in July.
    Overlooking Mistymoon
  • The milky way was visible over Elk Lake for a short time after sunset on this windy night. The high peaks in the middle are Bomber Mountain and Cloud Peak.
    Elk Lake Galaxy
  • The view of Blacktooth Mountain and Mount Woolsey was stunning from Highland Park. There was still plenty of snow up here on the last day of June, with fresh snowfall the night before.
    Blacktooth and Woolsey Alpenglow
  • It was 1AM when my alarm went off. Between shooting the sunset, the stars, and the sunrise, I wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight. After slipping into my shoes that were still damp from trudging through the snow, I stepped out of my tent into the cold air. With the temperature near freezing and a strong breeze blowing, it certainly didn't feel like the first day of July. But the weather couldn't be more perfect for shooting the milky way galaxy. The moon was setting in the west, leaving me 2 hours of darkness to shoot a time lapse before morning twilight set in. This is a shot I've wanted to take since last year when I first heard about this spot. It's an alpine meadow called Highland Park set at the base of the 13,000' Blacktooth Mountain in the Cloud Peak Wilderness. I've tried shooting the milky way over these peaks before, but they were always too far away, I had to get closer. But the conditions needed to be perfect before I made the 18 mile trek. Between the snow levels, moon phase, position of the milky way, and weather conditions I knew I may only have a couple chances to get this shot. The atmosphere is a lot thinner at 10,000 feet and the stars seemed just a little bit closer on this night.
    Close to Heaven
  • This outhouse  surrounded by deep snow drifts is just below Black Mountain. Cloud Peak can be seen on the upper left.
    A Loo With a View
  • The stars of the milky way galaxy glow above Blacktooth Mountain at 1AM on a July night. From most places, clouds are easily visible at night because they are lit up by light pollution underneath. But under a sky this dark, you can't see the clouds. You only notice the absence of stars as a cloud passes by. These thin clouds gave halos to the brighter stars and planets. The bright red object on the right is Mars. To the left in the constellation Scorpius is the red supergiant star Antares. The name in Greek means "like-Mars" since it's a similar color, and often the same brightness as the red planet. Just above that is Saturn, the 2nd brightest object in the picture.
    Jewels of the Night
  • Colorful clouds hang above the 13,005 feet high Black Tooth Mountain on a July evening.
    Black Tooth Sunset
  • I climbed the highest hill near Acme to watch the sunset. Blacktooth Mountain is the peak in the distance with Interstate 90 cutting through the green hills.
    Keep on Truckin
  • It didn't appear there would be any color at sunset, but then this lenticular cloud formed above Elk Lake in the Cloud Peak Wilderness. The cloud took on a fiery glow, giving the entire landscape a soft orange color as I hopped from rock to rock trying to find the perfect reflection. A lenticular cloud is nearly stationary and is formed by strong winds after encountering an obstacle like a mountain peak. It was calm at the moment, but the winds would soon descend and rage for most of the night. My tent was flattened and I was forced to relocate it to a more sheltered area. Ice was pushed across the lake and piled up. The shore would look very different in the morning. This is a 6 shot panorama.
    Elk Lake Sunset
  • Just before entering the forest on Heart Mountain, I looked back and captured this view.
    Halfway up Heart
  • The milky way galaxy rises above Black Mountain while a Lyrid meteor pierces the sky.
    Milky Way and Lyrid
  • Most of the ocotillo plants in Anza Borrego had already lost their flowers. But I found this one on Coyote Mountain just as the sun was rising.
    Ocotillo First Light
  • Kingittorsuaq is a 3,885' mountain southeast of Nuuk. This is the view from the summit of Store Malene.
    Kingittorsuaq
  • This halo stayed in the sky for most of the evening over the Icelandic village of Arnarstapi. The pyramid-shaped mountain is Stapafell, which is a lower peak of the glacier-capped Snæfellsjökull volcano behind it.
    The Halo of Arnarstapi
  • These snow covered trees are found near the 8,000 foot summit of Ch-Paa-Qn Peak, Montana. This peak offers an amazing panoramic view of at least 5 different mountain ranges. As temperatures warmed up above freezing, chunks of snow were constantly falling off the branches.
    Windswept Summit
  • Sermitsiaq is a prominent mountain visible from Nuuk. But the only way to see the glacier and waterfall is by taking a boat tour to the other side of the island.
    Glacier Island Falls
  • A small iceberg floats in a small bay. Sermitsiaq Mountain was catching the first light of the day behind it.
    Sermitsiaq Iceberg
  • Myggedalen is probably the most iconic view in Nuuk. The colorful houses are part of the Old Town, and Sermitsiaq Mountain features prominently in the background.
    Colorful Nuuk
  • Distant thunderstorms that resemble cauliflowers begin to build under a rising moon. This was taken from Gander Mountain, which is the highest point in Lake County, Illinois. At the time this was taken, the storms were 30+ miles to the east over Lake Michigan.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: May 3, 2012
    Cauliflower Moon
  • The sun had not even been down an hour yet when the first green curtains overspread the blue twilight sky. Why am I not on the summit already? As I hoofed it up a mountain in Greenland, I barely needed my headlamp as the lights above illuminated my way. Route finding can be tricky at night, but I had scouted out this peak the previous day so I knew where to go. Finally I reached the top, and all body heat generated from the strenuous climb was quickly stolen by the icy wind. Below stretched out the Nuuk Fjord, 2nd longest fjord system in the world. Rising nearly 4,000 feet above the sea is Sermitsiaq, the iconic island peak which dominates the skyline of Greenland's capital city. While Mars cast its reflection across the water, ribbons of green, purple, and red shimmered overhead. Oddly the northern lights seemed to prefer every part of the sky except north. For hours the show continued, in waves of varying intensity. It was a night I'll never forget.
    Nuuk Fjord Aurora
  • As I was approaching the saddle just south of the Coyote Mountain summit, I started hearing a loud thud sound. There were only two things I could think of that would make that sound: either a rockfall or bighorn sheep. Sure enough as I came over the hill I saw this herd of 9 in a grassy area staring at me. I never actually saw them ramming their horns together, but only heard them. They soon took off running.
    Bighorn Stampede
  • I don't know how much of this rain was hitting the ground. It was in the direction of Yucca Valley from Ryan Mountain.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Desert Rain
  • The sky lights up with the colors of sunset over Hidden Lake Pass. This is a short hike from Logan Pass and the peak underneath the moon is Heavy Runner Mountain.
    Hidden Lake Pass
  • Kobbefjord is a small fjord just east of Nuuk. The best way to see it is by climbing the 2,533' mountain called Store Malene (or Ukkusissat). It was perfectly sunny when I reached the summit. But it didn't take long before visibility was zero because the weather changes very fast in Greenland.
    Overlooking Kobbefjord
  • The top of Lille Malene (Quassussuaq), had an amazing view of Nuuk Fjord. The sunlight came out in the evening and touched Sermitsiaq Mountain.
    Sun Over Nuuk Fjord
  • Sermitsiaq Mountain is reflected in the iceberg-filled waters of Nuuk Fjord.
    Sermitsiaq Island
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