Hanging Lake has been on our bucket list of Colorado hikes for quite some time. It’s a short hike, only 2.4 miles round-trip, and leaves from the middle of Glenwood Canyon near Glenwood Springs. What makes it interesting is that the shoreline is made up of travertine, created from dissolved limestone in the water which precipitates and builds up over time. The lake itself is a beautiful turquoise color, also from the dissolved minerals. We’ve tried hiking this one before, but the parking lot inside the canyon was always full. We were traveling to Grand Junction for Nate’s October break, and the off-season weekday was a perfect opportunity. Despite this, the steep and rocky trail was still pretty crowded. Nate was having an “off-day”, so it took some cajoling to get up the trail. It was later than we expected and wanted when we got to the lake, and we almost skipped out on following a side trail titled “Spouting Rock Falls.” But we decided to see how long the spur trail was, and it turned out to be very short. Water sprays out of a small hole in a solid cliff face and pours down, eventually feeding the lake. I took a few shots hand-held, which were nice. I thought about getting out my tripod, but it was late, so…
That line of thinking is dangerous, but thankfully I caught myself. I’m a photographer, damn it. The family went on ahead as I pulled out the gear, and took a long-exposure shot of the cascade. This became my favorite image of the week.
Spouting Rock Falls
Fujifilm X-T2, Fujinon XF 18-55 f/2.8-4 R LM OIS at 27mm, f/22 at 1/2 second, ISO 400.
Digital Darkroom. Nothing but tiny changes.
The actual Hanging Lake isn’t bad either:
WIRR stands for Weekly Image Rich Ruh. This regular feature on Das Has von Ruh will show and describe my favorite photo created during this weekly period. My weeks start on Mondays, as does the WIRR. I’m hoping to include commentary on the story, the setting, the specs, or the sentiments, depending on the circumstances.
Das Haus von Ruh 