“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
–FDR, December 8, 1941
It is hard to believe that 73 years have passed since that day. Our World War II vets are leaving us for more tranquil pastures at a very high rate these days–hundreds each day, if not the 1,000 that gets erroneously reported in the internet echo echo echo chamber. Shake their hand if you meet one and stop to listen to their story…The Greatest Generation.
These days, life in these United States–for most of us, anyway–is not quite so historically dramatic. So, unless we are one of the chosen, dedicated, few we have sent off to Iraq or Afghanistan, we invent drama to keep our spirits alert…in my case, the Colorado 14er Senior Challenge.
I had expected to be on top of Mt. Princeton on the morning of December 7–the forecast looked good with light winds and reasonable temperatures, and there would be a large Moon to help my route finding on the snowy slopes. That same monster Moon would also make for some nice sunrise/moonset photography from the summit. That was the plan, anyway.
But, it was not to be. Instead, a family issue had me headed to warmer climes in the Southwest–Tucson, Arizona, to be precise. From the window of our hurtling aluminum tube, I tried to aim my lens as best I could through dirty, blurry, Plexiglas, and I looked down on what might have been. (For some hints on this frustrating type of picture-taking, see my April 16, 2014 blog entry, Aconcagua, and photographing through airplane windows.)
Looks like the snow coverage is getting better in the high country. Time to start thinking about skis instead of snowshoes, crampons, and 14ers:
Vail and Back Bowls. Over Colorado, 2014
Can you identify the 14er in the foreground? Is it even a 14er? It sure looks like one (Plata, maybe???). We overflew this area just a few minutes after turning south over Vail. So, test your 14er knowledge and let me know:
14er in the foreground? Over Colorado, 2014
UPDATE: Eric reports that the peak in the foreground is, without a doubt, the famous Capitol Peak, the knife-edged ridge and all! A winter climb would be challenging–obviously!
Could Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre be in the left half of the image? Which are those to the right?
Unknown Peaks? Over Colorado, 2014
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2 Comments
I believe you’re looking at the east side of the La Sal mountains outside of Moab.
Sean, I think you nailed it! You can see canyons beyond. One forgets how far you can see at those altitudes. Thanks!