Sunset from Angle Mountain

I’ve been snowshoeing a lot this winter. Snowshoeing is the best way to explore winter photo opportunities in deep snow at Togwotee Pass.
I climbed Angle Mountain (a 1,600-foot ascension from the trailhead, 10,300 feet) with skier friends one afternoon. It was very steep… I’ve been snowshoeing a lot, but it was my first time climbing at that steep an angle in the snow! My two friends were climbing with skies!

It was snowing hard almost all day… The sunlight broke through sometimes and pieces of blue sky were visible. The trail was snow covered, of course, so we made our own trail and did a number of switchbacks across the side of the steep mountain. We climbed through the trees, and then onto the open ridge… The trees were snow coated on the ridge. I love those “white trees!”

Recently, I’ve been working on outdoor adventure images. My two skier friends were good model for the day! When they skied off the summit, they created a trail of beautiful powder!
I followed them by climbing down the steep trail… it was still snowing. The sun peaked through a hole of heavy clouds, and beamed down to the distance hill. It was a breathtaking view…Then, as we approached sunset, the hole between clouds widened, and a perfectly west horizon appeared… The last sunlight brightened up the fog underneath. The whole sky turned bright orange! And that orange color reflected on the snowy meadow and the road below… Amazing! The magic of the last sun on a snowy day. I was in a right place at the right time!

Sunrise at the Tetons

Alpenglow on the Tetons is one of the most beautiful scenes you can imagine. When it’s clear (preferably a few clouds around the peaks), the first pink light hits the tips of the peaks… then gradually widens across the whole mountain range. As the morning progresses, the rose color began to fade, and the sun’s rays light up the whole mountain.

One of my favorite views is the Tetons from the pass where I live at this moment. One cold morning before sunrise, 20 degrees below zero, I set up my camera at my favorite spot, and waited until the sun came out… it took for 20 min, My fingers began to stiffen despite my warm gloves; my toes began to tingle with pain despite my heavy boots, and my cheeks lost sensation… Finally, the sun came out and lit up the distant peaks.

As the sun rose, warm golden lights brighten the aspens on the hill. The Tetons were already in full of sun. The snow crystals sparkled on the intricate grasses!

Another day, I was setting up at the famous “Snake River Overlook;” the eastern sky was turning vivid red right before sunrise! I turned around, and shot the most amazing colors in the sky. Then, I turned to face the Tetons again… The glow on the mountains was stunning, but merely ordinarily beautiful compared with the other side of the sky. Sometimes, we find something better than what we looked for.

On the way back, a bull moose cross the road right behind me.