Kevin Palmer

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  • After the sun set, the cliff face of Steamboat Point above continued to soak in the golden sunlight for a few more minutes.
    Sunlight Ascending
  • Sunlight illuminates the distant canyon as seen from Moran Point.
    Sunlight From Moran Point
  • The warm sunlit cliffs of Tongue River Canyon contrasted with the cold river ice. It was a beautiful afternoon for a hike.
    Path to Sunlight
  • Devils Tower (also known as Mato Tipila which means Bear Lodge in Lakota) is an awesome place anytime of year. But there's something extra special about being the only one in the park the morning after a fresh snowfall. I was walking around the tower loop trail after sunrise when a gust of wind blew a chunk of snow off of the tower and into the surrounding forest. The air glittered and sparkled, and rays of golden sunlight glowed between the trees. I only had a few seconds to get a shot, before the scene was gone. Despite the difficulties of winter camping and driving on icy roads, it's definitely worth visiting Devils Tower in the offseason.
    Sparkling Sunbeams
  • I went back and had another go at processing my solar eclipse pictures. Here I combined several shots and tried to show every feature of the eclipse that I was able to capture. There is such a huge range of light that it's impossible to capture it all in one image. The glow around the sun is called the corona. Shaped by complex magnetic fields, it consists of super-heated plasma up to 450X hotter than the solar surface. The sun's north pole is located at 10 o'clock where the magnetic field lines are shorter. The red fringes on the right are fiery solar prominences, several times the size of Earth. Also shown is the diamond ring effect, when the first bright sliver of sunlight reappears from behind the moon. Details on the lunar surface can be seen because of an effect called earthshine (not to be confused with moonshine). Sunlight is reflected off of the Earth and faintly illuminates the dark side of the moon. Regulus is the star visible on the lower left.
    Eclipse All In One
  • Underneath a volcanic field in the Mojave Desert there is a lava tube that is fascinating to explore. The cave is not very big, about the size of a house. The ceiling has 5 skylights which lets in sunlight, illuminating the walls of the cave. Throwing dust into the air made the sunbeam even more visible, and created this shape that resembles an angel.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/31/14
    Angelic Beam
  • A pinyon pine clings to the edge of the Grand Canyon rim, illuminated by morning sunlight.
    Let There Be Light
  • Late evening sunlight gave the plains of Southeast Montana a golden glow.
    Montana Plains
  • The buildings of the Abisko Science Station looked especially photogenic with the mountains behind them in the late evening sunlight.
    Abisko Science Station
  • Evening sunlight shines on Steamboat Point as seen from a couple miles away.
    Evening Light on Steamboat
  • After I thought the sunlight was gone on Devil's Tower, it came out once more for just a couple minutes.
    Devil's Tower Last Light
  • I liked the way Tongue River was reflecting the golden cliffs above. This canyon is always tricky to shoot because the sunlight disappears much sooner than I expect.
    A River Runs Through It
  • The snow-covered cliffs of Ten Sleep Canyon glow in the evening sunlight.
    Leigh Creek Cliff
  • A partial rainbow hangs above the buttes and mesas of eastern Arizona. On this early November afternoon, scattered rain showers drifted across the landscape. The shadows and patches of sunlight revealed the full range of colors that the Painted Desert is known for. This desert was once a forest with a much wetter climate, and a wide variety of wildlife. But now it's filled with petrified logs and fossils. Also found in Petrified Forest National Park are many archaeological sites including pueblos, petroglyphs, and other artifacts, some of which are thousands of years old.
    Painted Desert Rainbow
  • The 60 meter tall Seljalandsfoss tumbles over a cliff in the evening sunlight.
    Mist in the Air
  • The last sunlight of the evening shines on the cliffs north of Steamboat Point in the Bighorn Mountains.
    North of Steamboat
  • The last sunlight of the day shines on Mount Sublette high in the Absaroka Mountains. This peak is located directly on the continental divide which separates the drainage basins of the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. Togwotee Pass at nearly 10,000 feet is known for frequent sightings of grizzly bears. But by this time of year they had long since been in hibernation. The 4.5 feet of snow made it challenging to take pictures. The center column on my tripod broke after I tried pushing it all the way down into into the snow, which was an expensive mistake.
    Sublette Alpenglow
  • A chukar bird is lit up by the early morning sunlight in Death Valley National Park near Dante's View.
    Death Valley Chukar
  • 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
  • I always feel a a sense of urgency this time of year to capture the fall colors before they're gone. Tongue River Canyon is always a great place to hike, and one of the closest trails to where I live. It was extra beautiful on this warm October afternoon. A patch of sunlight came out for just a minute.
    Overcast Sun
  • There was a lot to see in this view from Castle Gardens outside of Ten Sleep. Hoodoos and toadstools, red rock canyons, and the snow-capped Bighorn Mountains all lit up in the golden evening sunlight.
    Cloud Peak From Castle Gardens
  • Late evening sunlight cast shadows across the McCullough Peak Badlands.
    Lay of the Land
  • Shadows and sunlight reveal the range of colors that the Painted Desert in eastern Arizona is known for.
    Kachina Point
  • This unnamed creek flowed right past my campsite at 10,000 feet in the Cloud Peak Wilderness. Golden sunlight filled the valley before a thunderstorm approached.
    Bomber Mountain Creek
  • I found this old barn on the side of a road outside of Lincoln, IL. The foundation is fractured and the entire front end is sinking into the ground. The late evening sunlight was painting the barn gold as it melted what's left of the snow. It probably won't be long before it collapses and turns into a pile of rubble.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: February 6, 2015
    Leaning Barn of Lincoln
  • After trekking for 10 miles into the wilderness of Abisko National Park in Swedish Lapland, I was relieved to reach my destination. The last couple miles were the toughest, crossing a frozen lake fully exposed to the wind. My face was getting numb and the last of my water was now a block of ice. After warming up a bit I went back out to capture the mountain Kieron glowing in the evening sunlight. High peaks surround this scenic valley in the Scandinavian Mountains. The vegetation at the edge of tree line mostly consists of short birches, with everything else buried under a meter of snow. This was the first segment of the Kungsleden, a popular 270 mile long hiking and skiing trail. Ski season doesn’t start until the 2nd half of winter, the first half is much too dark. Mountain cabins are spaced about a day’s journey apart. They lack electricity or running water. But chopping firewood and collecting water from a hole cut in the ice keeps guests busy. The facilities included a small store, caretaker’s cabin, bunkhouse, and of course a sauna.
    Birches and Kieron
  • A weakening storm approached the west side of the Bighorn Mountains. The sun came out and this double rainbow appeared. It was so vivid it felt like I could reach out and touch it. At first it was almost a complete circle. I rushed to capture a time lapse and had to keep wiping the raindrops off my lens. I got quite wet as a result, but it was worth it.<br />
<br />
A double rainbow is caused by light reflecting a second time within raindrops. The secondary rainbow is located 8° apart from the primary bow, and is almost double the width. The colors are fainter, and in reverse order (VIBGYOR instead of ROYGBIV.) In between the two rainbows is a darkened part of the sky called Alexander’s Band. The sunlight is always brightest in the center of a rainbow at the anti-solar point. But since this bright light is also reflected opposite the secondary rainbow, that leaves a dark band in between.
    Seeing Double
  • The last sunlight of the day shines on rock formations in the Terry Badlands.
    Golden Pyramid
  • A piece of coral on the Picnic Key beach lights up in the evening sunlight. This was one of many small islands in the Ten Thousand Islands Unit of Everglades National Park.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/13/2014
    Golden Coral
  • A beam of sunlight shines in between passing clouds at Holland Lake, Montana. A thunderstorm had just passed through and patches of fog were moving across the mountains.
    Storm and Sunbeam
  • A buckfence in Grand Teton National Park lights up from a moment of sunlight on a cloudy morning. Most of the aspen trees near the Snake River were a golden yellow on this mid-September day.
    Teton Buckfence
  • 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
  • This 7600' summit has no name and there is no trail leading here. It wasn't a long climb. But it did involve descending into a valley and fording a cold river, before scrambling straight up a steep slope. Enough snow has melted that I was able to avoid most of it. At the summit this was the view that awaited me looking east. Holes in the cloud cover let through small patches of sunlight. The light beams are an optical phenomena known as anticrepuscular rays. The shafts of light are actually parallel, but appear to converge at the antisolar point, which is 180° opposite the sun. The rays only seem to converge because of a perspective effect, similar to railroad tracks in the distance.
    Anticrepuscular Rays
  • I was surprised to find this large grove of aspen trees on the 70 Mile Butte trail. There are very few trees in Grasslands National Park. The late evening sunlight intensified the color of the leaves.
    Between Buttes
  • Morning sunlight illuminates the trees above a snowy road in Sand Ridge State Forest.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: February 2, 2015
    Snowy Gold
  • The trees in the cypress swamp glow in the late evening sunlight. This was on the Kirby Storter trail in Big Cypress National Preserve.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Golden Swamp
  • Golden sunlight illuminates a white seaside house in the Icelandic village of Arnarstapi.
    White Seaside House
  • The spine of Kirkjufell is lit up in the golden evening sunlight.
    Kirkjufell Spine
  • Early morning sunlight illuminates a striated portion of the badlands in South Dakota.
    Striped Hills
  • 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
  • The weather changed quickly on this windy morning in Mojave National Preserve. It looked like it was going to stay sunny for awhile. But then the clouds descended and obscured the Granite Mountains.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/31/14
    Obscured Granites
  • Early morning light shines on a yucca plant and a large cholla cactus. The foothills of the Providence Mountains are partially obscured by a low cloud. The road in between is Kelbaker Road.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 1/31/14
    Yucca and Cholla
  • Shortly before sunset, crepuscular rays danced over the sea dotted with icebergs.
    Icebergs and Rays
  • A small iceberg floats in a small bay. Sermitsiaq Mountain was catching the first light of the day behind it.
    Sermitsiaq Iceberg
  • In the Cascade Range in northwest Washington is a peak called Mount Baker. This peak is the 3rd tallest in the state, and is among the snowiest mountains on Earth. One winter saw a staggering 95 feet of snow fall, which is the most recorded anywhere in a single season. I hiked halfway up and set up camp on a ridge overlooking this volcanic peak. Into the clouds I ascended and waited until they finally parted just before sunset. My jaw dropped as the glacier-capped summit appeared high above me. But the view was short-lived as the winds shifted and brought in heavy smoke from Canada. Even though the meteor shower would be a bust, I was thankful to get this view, however brief it was. This volcano is still active with fumaroles found in the summit crater, but it hasn't erupted since the end of the 19th century.
    Between Smoke and Cloud
  • The first light of the day illuminates the north face of Mount Hood. The Eliot Glacier is the largest in Oregon.
    Morning in the Hood
  • My goal was to get an overview of the Teton Valley with the highest peaks lighting up at sunset. But despite the forecast for clear and sunny skies, I was dismayed when I got to the top and saw that the Tetons were hidden from view and the clouds were not going to lift. So I turned my attention to the west instead, looking towards Stouts Mountain and the Swan Valley. At first the light was flat there too, but then a gap in the clouds slowly began to open up. Sunbeams danced across the ridges and the light became better and better. Finally the sun came out for just a moment, and a pillar appeared above it caused by ice crystals suspended in the air. It wasn't the shot I had planned, but this short-lived sunset view was worth all the effort to snowshoe up this mountain.
    Big Hole Mountain Sunset
  • A vivid rainbow appeared on the other side of this storm near Crazy Woman Canyon.
    Rainbow at the Ranch
  • The temperature topped 100°F as I drove down a dirt road called the Calypso Trail. The terrain of eastern Montana may appear boring at first. But the Terry Badlands area is filled with all kinds of geological wonders including toadstools, pillars, caves, and these natural bridges. I couldn't find much information on this place and getting here wasn't easy. Washouts, sand, and sinkholes make the road in very rough. Any rain will turn it to mud and make it impassable. Once at the end it's only a couple mile hike through fields of biting flies. I didn't even know there would be 3 natural bridges until I arrived. It was tricky to get all of them in one picture until I went underneath. Just past the bridges was a strange tunnel carved by water, with the roof collapsed in places. Some of the only shade in the area is found by standing underneath the bridges which are up to 50 feet long. This is a dry, desolate place, but still it has a certain beauty to it.
    All 3 Natural Bridges
  • On this day I headed up into the mountains with one goal: to capture the snow and fall colors together as two seasons collided. A snow storm occurring when the colors are at their peak is not something that happens every year. I wanted to be there the moment the storm ended and the sun came out, because fresh snow does not stay looking fresh for very long. Temperatures remained in the high 20’s all day and rime ice caused by freezing fog had coated the forest as well. The sun finally came out shortly after 5PM and then soon disappeared behind a nearby ridge. Aspen trees are not as widespread in the Bighorns as they are in other parts of the Rockies. Large clusters of them can be hard to find, but this stand across from Antelope Butte is one of the larger ones that I’m aware of. All the trees in an aspen stand are actually clones of one another. They are connected underground by a vast root system. This makes aspen trees some of the largest living organisms on Earth.
    Aspens and Snowy Cliff
  • 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
  • These bizarre sandstone rock formations rise up out of the eastern Montana prairie. They turned gold as the sun set.
    Medicine Rocks Sunset
  • Young saplings grow among the older pine trees near Red Grade Road in the Bighorn Mountains.
    Young Saplings
  • Skógafoss is a 60 meter high waterfall in southern Iceland. In the evening it is positioned perfectly for vivid rainbows to appear in the mist. I got here at the perfect time, once I made it to the top and back the rainbow was already gone.
    Rainbow of Skógafoss
  • The F570 road which heads up the east side of Snæfellsjökull volcano is quite steep and rough. I couldn't drive it with my rental car so I walked it instead.
    Road to Snæfellsjökull
  • The Lost Twin Lakes are found at 10,300 feet  in the Cloud Peak Wilderness. A 6 mile hike from the West Tensleep Lake trailhead, it's the perfect spot for an overnight backpacking trip. The two lakes are in a glacial cirque surrounded by massive granite cliffs up to 2,000 feet high. This was a stitch of 6 pictures.
    Lost Twin Lake Panorama
  • The Lost Twin Lakes are found at 10,300 feet  in the Cloud Peak Wilderness. A 6 mile hike from the West Tensleep Lake trailhead, it's the perfect spot for an overnight backpacking trip. The two lakes are in a glacial cirque surrounded by massive granite cliffs up to 2,000 feet high. Treeline in the Bighorns is at about 10,500' feet so most of the trees were very short around the lake.
    Edge of Treeline
  • It was late May but there was still plenty of snow along Red Grade Road in the Bighorn Mountains.
    Spring at Red Grade
  • A herd of wild mustangs moves across the sage brush in between Cody and Greybull, Wyoming. I counted about 100 horses in this herd.
    Moving the Herd
  • Rain was falling from the clouds, but it evaporated into the dry air before reaching the ground. This is known as virga. The views were dramatic from the McCullough Peaks Badlands, especially when the sun came out and contrasted with the dark clouds.In the distance the snow capped Bighorn Mountains can be seen.
    Vanishing Rain
  • The last sunrise of 2016 covers the Teton Mountains in a golden glow while strong winds gust around the peaks. This is a 100 megapixel panorama and is suitable for large prints.
    Last First Light
  • Early morning crepuscular rays illuminate the Black Hills and the Great Plains beyond. This was the view from the Rankin Ridge lookout tower.
    Wind Cave Sunrise
  • The light of sunrise illuminates one of the first snowfalls of the season in the Bighorn Mountains near Dayton. The switchbacks of Highway 14 can be seen in the valley.
    Fog and Switchbacks
  • The last light of the day shines on the granite wall which is part of Spear Peak in the Bighorn Mountains.
    Spear Peak
  • This was my view while I ate lunch on Cloud Peak, the highest point of the Bighorn Mountains. I timed this 25 mile long, 3 day backpacking trip with the hottest day of the year. While the temperature topped 100°F down in the valley, up here at 13,167 feet it was much more pleasant in the 60's. At this high elevation the boiling point of water is 25° cooler than at sea level. In the cirque 1500 feet below lies the Cloud Peak Glacier. It is the only glacier in the Bighorns and is predicted to be gone 20 years from now. As the compressed snow and ice slowly slides down the mountain slope, it grinds up the bedrock beneath it and forms a very fine silt called "rock flour". This flour becomes suspended in the glacial meltwater and gives the lake it's greenish-turquoise color that changes with the lighting conditions. In the hour I spent on the summit I heard the sound of numerous rockfalls. Some of them would cause a chain-reaction lasting a minute or longer.
    Top of the Bighorns
  • As the sun sank lower it cast a deep red glow on this snow covered ridge in Farmdale Recreation Area.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: January 12, 2015
    Crimson Snow
  • The waters were almost perfectly calm at Oxbow Bend on this fall morning. Then this lone duck came along, disturbing the reflection. The peak in the background is the 12,605 foot high Mount Moran
    Duck at Oxbow Bend
  • The Grand Teton mountain range in Wyoming glows from the first light of the day. Scattered fog was moving in between the colorful fall foliage along the Snake River. This same viewpoint is where Ansel Adams took his iconic image, "The Tetons and Snake River". Although 61 years of tree growth means the view of the river is not quite the same.
    Foggy Snake
  • Delicate Arch is the most famous landmark in Arches National Park. The 65 foot tall arch is depicted on Utah license plates and postage stamps. In the background you can see the snowcapped La Sal Mountains.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 11/7/2013
    Delicate Arch
  • 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
  • Vedauwoo is a scenic spot filled with interesting rocky outcrops, located in between Cheyenne and Laramie. The area is popular with climbers. The last light of the day was casting a soft golden glow across the granite.
    Turtle Rock Sunset
  • On the road to Courthouse and Jail Rock I stopped to photograph these horses in the evening light. They were very friendly, walking right up to the fence as soon as they saw me.
    Friendly Nebraska Horses
  • At 9200 feet in a beautiful valley of the Absaroka Mountains is a collection of abandoned buildings: cabins, a hotel, general store, stables, a post office, and shaft houses. This is the ghost town of Kirwin. Kirwin was established in the 1880's after gold and silver were discovered nearby. But the mines were never profitable and life was rough up here. Very heavy snowfall and avalanches were a regular occurrence. A bad avalanche in February of 1907 swept away buildings and killed 3 people. The town has been abandoned ever since, although some buildings have been stabilized in recent years. Another interesting tidbit of history is that Amelia Earhart and her husband loved this area so much that they had a cabin built. But when she disappeared it was never finished. I visited here at the end of August. The road up is steep and rocky, with river crossings that make it a fun drive. A storm was clearing and the sun came out for just a few minutes before disappearing again behind the high peaks.
    Evening in Kirwin
  • Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted in March of 2010, with the giant ash cloud causing the biggest disruption to air travel since WWII.
    Eyjafjallajökull
  • 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
  • The setting sun casts a golden glow on the boulders beneath the summit of Black Mountain.
    Golden Boulders
  • Bighorn Canyon and the Pryor Mountains glow in the early morning light on Thanksgiving Day.
    Bighorn Canyon Sunrise
  • Three horses trot across a field in front of the Grand Teton Mountains on a clear day.
    Teton Horses
  • Nuuk, Greenland's capital and largest city is seen from the side of a mountain. The newest neighborhood, Quinngorput is at the bottom. The airport is seen on the right, which is currently being expanded to allow for more direct flights.
    Nuuk and Qinngorput
  • Icebergs float out towards the open sea near Nuuk just before sunset.
    Dotted With Icebergs
  • After heading down an unmarked road I unexpectedly came across this old cabin with 3 walls standing and a collapsed roof. I don't know the history behind it, but it sure is photogenic. After going on a hike I returned to capture it in the golden light of sunset.
    Dimming of the Light
  • I went snowshoeing on the Nordic Trails near Antelope Butte, which I had never explored before. Just before sunset the light looked amazing across the snow.
    Don't Eat the Yellow Snow
  • June is a great time of year to see baby bighorn sheep (lambs) at Badlands National Park. They are very agile and it's fun to watch them dash around the steep terrain.
    Bonding Moment
  • South of Billings, Montana, rising up out of the Bighorn Basin, is the Pryor Mountains. These mountains are home to a herd of mustangs. Some of these wild horses hang out in the lower elevations near Bighorn Canyon, but the majority are found near the mountaintop at 8,000 feet where the grass is greener. Getting here requires traveling a long, rough, and steep dirt road. On my prior Pryor visit, I didn't get all the shots I wanted and was only able to capture the horses in the middle of the day. But this time I made sure to be in the right place at sunset. The views were amazing into the valley below, and the light was magical. The horses numbered at least 60, but I lost count as they moved around. In the last minutes before the sun set, many of them trotted past me. Shooting into the sun created a dreamy look, but I had to be careful not to blind myself.
    Walking Into the Light
  • This basin at 9,000 feet in the Crazy Mountains had lots of colorful foliage when I visited in September.
    September Alpine
  • The mountainside next to Red Grade Road is currently filled with colorful wildflowers. I stopped on my way back from a hike to capture them in the evening light.
    Wildflowers and Blacktooth
  • The slopes of Steamboat Point are beautiful this time of year with lots of blooming lupine and arrowleaf balsamroot wildflowers.
    Steamboat Arrowleaf
  • Just below my campsite in Little Horn Canyon I found this small tarn or pond. It was shallow with no inlets or outlets, and the water color was a beautiful emerald green. I went back after sunrise to catch the reflection of the sunlit peaks in the still water.
    Calm Green Water
  • The last Sunday of April brought the first thunderstorm of the year. After getting hailed on while hiking, I found a place to shoot the storm near Big Horn. These 3 horses seemed unfazed by the threatening sky and mammatus clouds above them.
    Horses and Mammatus
  • There are lots of different mesas and buttes to focus in on when the sun sets over the Grand Canyon. This view is from Hopi Point.
    Mesas and Buttes
  • The last light on the cliffs of Piney Creek Canyon is reflected in the cold water.
    Gold Under Ice
  • I waited on this precarious ledge for the sun to come out one more time over Bighorn Canyon before setting. The light only lasted a couple minutes. I'm not sure what caused the 2 different colors mixing together in the river.
    Below the Edge
  • While cross country skiing in the Bighorn Mountains, this vivid halo appeared around the sun. I was able to get a few pictures above this meadow before it faded away.
    Halo and Shadow
  • I found these horses on the side of a random road in Iceland. The mother was very friendly, walking up to the fence so I could pet her. But the young foal was more shy.
    Friendly Icelandic Horse
  • It was interesting seeing the contrasts of black lava, verdant moss, and glacial ice on Snæfellsjökull.
    Glacier and Moss
  • Just as I had hoped, the sun began to break through the clouds while I climbed Kirkjufell.
    Breaking Through
  • The pyramid shaped Stapafell is reflected in a calm pond in Arnarstapi, Iceland.
    Stapafell Pond
  • Known as the "Diamond Ring" effect, this is when the first bit of sun emerges from behind the moon. It lasts only seconds. I was surprised by just how suddenly the sun popped out with all the brightness of the sun concentrated into a single point. If anyone was looking through an optical instrument at this time, it would probably be the last thing they would ever see. I shot this using live view and then quickly put a solar filter back on before I fried the camera sensor.
    Diamond Ring
  • 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 views from Highland Park in the Cloud Peak Wilderness were even more beautiful at sunrise than they were at sunset. Dozens of elk were grazing in the meadow below while alpenglow touched the highest peaks.
    Alpenglow Boulders
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