Columbine Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness had been on my mind for some time as a possible autumn photo destination. Sadly, it always seemed to get brushed aside by other plans or vetoed by camping companions. So, when other plans for the first weekend in October happened to fall through, I threw my pack in the car and headed out from Denver to the trailhead on a whim. As anyone who has traveled the area in peak leaf season can attest, the traffic on Colorado's highways and the ruggedness of its rocky mountain roads are often unkind to those with hasty and ill-prepared travel plans. Thus, I arrived at the trailhead much later than I had hoped. The causal hike I envisioned, with frequent stops to admire the fall colors, turned to a mad accent up the trail in a vain attempt to arrive in time for a calmly selected golden hour composition of the lake.

Trails in the high, thinly aired mountains of Colorado always seem to be longer than you think. And so, when I finally arrived at the lake, any opportunity for a golden hour shot had passed, let alone a thoughtfully composed one. Additionally, the numerous wispy clouds I noticed on the way up the trail, which I was sure would turn pink in the evening light, had all but dissipated. Feeling defeated and discombobulated, I grumpily took a handful of blue hour photos with relatively little contemplation of composition or expectation of any interesting result. This photo was among that handful of what I expected to be disappointing images.

Despite the inauspicious circumstances of its creation, this image has emerged among my favorites. The vertical symmetry of the twin baby trees in the foreground frames the moon's refreshing way and adds a focal point beyond the horizontal symmetry of the lakeshore. I sometimes wonder if a tighter composition of that foreground element with a more compressed background would have been better or if I should have waited out the evening glow entirely for a cleaner astro shot. In the end, I think I like this image because it's a reminder to appreciate the beauty of the moment regardless of your preconceived hopes or expectations.