“You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain”

The famous opening for John Denver’s “Annie’s Song” plays in my head every time, when I think of Aspen during May or early June. This is when the massive peaks in the Elk Range wake up from their icy slumber and the lakes, waterfall, streams thaw after a long, snowy winter.

Mid to late May makes for a nice time to visit Maroon lake. On this particular trip in 2022, I got an overnight parking pass for May 30th, a few days after the road to the lake officially opened for vehicle traffic (Note that the road remains closed during the winter and even during the summer months, one cannot drive the road between 9-5. Gotta use the bus or bikes). I got to the lake, late in the evening, after enjoying a moody drive up and down Independence Pass and just as a fast moving snowstorm had finished dumping a significant amount of snow to the peaks and the peaks had started to become visible through the cloud covering.

The lake was still for a bit, and I got to enjoy the reflection of the Bells in the water, before night fell and I headed back to my car…

Not to sleep, but to fetch my camera gear for some night sky shots.

The clouds had cleared and the starry sky was visible in all its glory to me. The view of the Bells from the lake is North / North-West facing and thus, away from where the Milky way core would rise (Southeast). Still, getting shots of a starry sky being reflected in the tranquil waters of the lake would be more than enough to give me a good night’s sleep. (would it really?)

Speaking of the tranquility of the water, sure enough, the water was perfectly still for an hour or so – long enough to fill my mind with the thought that this would continue to be the case. But, the wind had other plans. Late in the evening, I don’t remember when – a howling sound echoed through the basin and sure enough, a blast of wind tore down on the lake. Forget about the reflection, I had to ensure my tripod wouldn’t get blown off its legs.

I had opted to shoot a timelapse, instead of the stills and prior to the wind, I expected myself to be out there for a couple of hours – long enough to get decent footage of the stars moving across the sky. Now with the wind, I had second thoughts – particularly because I was underdressed for the occasion.

I underestimated how cold it could get here – particularly at night and thus, started shivering. I braved it out for an hour or so before heading back to my car and cranked up the heater to max.

Over the next few years, as I tried to sleep, I had a tough time because of how cold it had gotten. Even with the max heat and a blanket to cover myself, the cold bit through and gave me a tough time. I managed to tough it out and finally, made it to sunrise – the most exciting time for a photographer and the least exciting time for a lazy person like myself (the strange duality of life).

I grabbed my camera gear once again and headed out to the lake before anyone else to find the spot.

The parking lot, which was empty overnight, started to fill as the blue hour filled the sky and soon enough, when the first light of day hit the Bells, the lake had like half a dozen photographers ready to get the shot.

The wind had died down and the reflection of the snow-covered Bells was immaculately projected in the water. And as the sun rose from beyond and hit the peaks with full radiance, I could feel everyone let out a collective gasp. The view was one straight from the postcards. I took a few shots and stood there in admiration of what lay before me.

To add to the the splendid scenery and the sound of roaring water everywhere, the meadows down by the lake had started turning green as well.

I took a short walk to the bridge on the other side of the lake and turned around, as the traffic to the lake had increased considerably after the first bus arrived at 8. The view of Pyramid peak was pretty impressive from this vantage point. Gave me a fair idea of how steep the path to the summit of this Class 4 14er really is.

I vowed to return some other time and prepared for the long drive back to Boulder.