Autumn at The Castles Gunnison, Colorado

Well, my friends, I bring to you another series of fall in the West Elk Wilderness of Colorado. The Castles are extraordinary and nearly otherworldly volcanic rock formations. They stand as natures statues and tower over a valley of earths wonders, most prominently, the grove of quaking Aspens (especially during falls peak). The snow-capped mountains, vividly colored trees, soft light on the horizon and rigidness of the ancient rocks provided much more than a picturesque landscape. There was a profound stillness that invoked self-reflection and an infinite depth of wonder.

My Kind Of Castles

For the curious mind like my own, I found a little info on how The Castles formed and what they are largely made up of on summitpost.org

“The predominant rock type of the West Elks is the West Elk Breccia… A breccia is an amalgamation of fragments of andesite scattered within a matrix of welded tuff. It forms from extremely violent volcanic eruptions that shred the surrounding bedrock and deposit bits of it along with layers of white-hot ash. The ash then welds itself together producing a somewhat durable rock that erodes to produce a myriad of sculpted forms.  The volcanics that produced the West Elks occurred about 34 million years ago (about the same time the San Juans were blowing themselves apart). “

So interesting right?! #themoreyouknow

These photographs were captured during evenings light on a relatively clear October day. It was no exaggeration when I said the captures of this season would have to be layed out over multiple posts. However, the leaves have now fallen and the high snow is here to stay but our temps in town have been similar to those of late may. 60’s and sunny which means extended adventure time on what I call ‘dry land’.

I hope you enjoyed this series of captures!

As always, thank you for joining me here ♥

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