The Gathering Storm

Today I went for a quick lap around the Eagle Wind Trail at Rabbit Mountain. At the beginning of my hike, I noticed the storm clouds building over Boulder, but I thought little of it. The clouds were sluggish and seemed not to be moving in any particular direction. But by the halfway point of the loop hike, I felt the pressure drop. Gloomy skies had suddenly closed in around Rabbit Mountain from every direction.

Fortunately, the Eagle Wind Trail is an easy and familiar hike. So I picked-up my pace and was back at the trailhead before the storm really kicked off. As I finished my hike, I paused to take a photograph at the same spot as I did when I started my hike. A kind of before-and-after-the-storm-formed shot. Hiking in Colorado this spring has taught me how very important it is to be able to read the weather and alter my plans as needed. The greatest certainty about Colorado’s weather is that it can change quickly.

Assortment
- January Then
- Just ten short days ago I thought autumn would last until March and that (further deluding myself) a mild-tempered March would give way to a sudden burst of vernal warmth.
- Canyonlands
- Island in the Sky—a vast slab of rust-tinted sandstone 1,000 feet higher than the surrounding landscape—is not the ideal place to find yourself during a lightning storm.
- A New Pixel Catcher
- Over the past several months, I’ve been struggling with the little Canon Powershot S100 compact camera that I take on my hikes, as there are repeated signs that its sensor is failing.