Eldorado Canyon State Park - Morning Light

I was parked in the lower lot by 5:20 am.  I took my last drink of coffee and started hiking up the road to a spot I reconned last weekend, just below the start of the Fowler Trail.  This is the first time I have been the first in the park.  It was peaceful and eerie at the same time.  The only sound was the creek rushing by below.  There was just enough light to see up the road, but not to see what was lurking in the trees on the hillside above me.  The hike up the road warmed me up nicely as it was just cold enough to make my hands feel icy.

My goal for the morning is to stay in the same general spot, something I’m not at all good at and work with the light and sun as it rises over the horizon, around the canyon wall and through the trees.

As it came over the horizon, it gave just enough light in the canyon to make the shadows come alive.  So much so, that a few times I thought I saw the mountain lion that was posted as a warning on the trailhead sign moving through the trees on the hillside next to me.

Then, the sun started to creep around the canyon wall.  Little by little it got brighter and brighter and warmer.  The light filtering through the trees onto the rushing water below was beautiful.  There were so many opportunities for beautiful compositions, it was hard to stay put. 

The light moving through the canyon was so inspiring!

The last shot I took might be one of my all time favorites thus far as a photographer.  The sun was behind a pine tree.  Just as it reached the very top of the tree, the branches created the most amazing sun rays that stretched across the creek.

I would call it a heavenly scene.  And, the perfect end to a morning of photography.