James Peak is a beautiful 13,294 foot peak in the Front Range, about 12 miles south-west of Nederland. This past weekend I had the pleasure of joining a great group of people for a trip to the James Peak Yurt. The yurt sits just over 5 miles away from James Peak and rests at 10,618 ft upon the southwest slope of Colorado Mountain (10,870 ft). Four of us snowshoed up to the yurt at midnight, meeting others who had gone up earlier in the day. It was an exhausting and single-digit cold 2-hr hike, but it was a beautiful night and the tracks left by the others made it easy to find our way in the dark. Despite the biting cold, I had to take advantage of the clear starry night, not knowing if a storm might roll in the next night and spoil my chances of getting some star shots. I spent about 10-15 minutes taking photos, and that was all I could handle at 2:30 in the cold, cold morning.
After a good hardy sleep, we awoke to a beautiful sunny day, had a delicious bacony breakfast, and then a few of us headed out for some snowshoeing.
The snow was very deep in places and made for an exhausting hike to the top of Colorado Mountain, but the views were well worth it.
This panoramic shot of James Peak was put together from 7 vertical photos, so it’s huge. The size limit here isn’t doing this photo any favors 
Back at the yurt, the sun is getting low and the group is now relaxing into some conversation, games, drinks, and the warmth of the wood-burning stove.
Dinner was served by lantern light. We ate well.
I just think the mantle of the lantern looks really cool up close.
After dinner, as things continued to wind down, I got back outside with my tripod and camera and got some more shots of the beautiful mountain night sky.
This was an awesome group to spend the weekend with. We decided to get a group shot as we suited up to trek back out.
A couple of us stopped along the way to check out an old cabin in a beautiful setting.
A beautiful hike out and that wraps up an amazing weekend enjoying the fruits of the Colorado life. Hope you enjoyed the photos!
16 Comments
Amazing photos! I bet it was a wonderful getaway. I love every single one, especially the star photos
Great Job Ron, you are truly talented.
Yes. Well done! You captured the feel of the weekend and the good company very very well. Thank you!
These are beautiful! Love the old cabin. Now I know what a “yurt” is…learn something every day!
That’s pretty neat, being out in neature for a lil romp through the snow. Great pics. I would like to title the pic of the fire place ” boots and beans”. I like the ring to that. We is long overdo for a talkabout. See you soon home skillet.
How neat is that? Let’s get together for a talkabout very soon. I’ll be out of town this and next weekend, but I’ll be in touch with you soon.
Great stuff Ron! I would love info on the Yurt. Is it part of the CO Yurt / Mountaineer Division thing? Or private?
Again, beautiful shots!
Hey Bobby, thanks! It’s a private yurt and you can find some info at http://www.jamespeakyurt.com/. It’s not the most informative website, but it gives you contact info, so you can get everything you need to know that way. Cheers!
Amazing, amazing and more amazing. It must be like being in a dream being there. Your photos are fantastic Ron, I’m glad you shared, Amy’s mom
Great to see and read the story of this trip. I wish I could have been there (minus the cold and snow – basically anything that would make my delicate grundle uncomfortable).
Keep up the writing and as always the photos.
Amazing photos, wonderful story. Now I want a Yurt more than ever!
Stunning! As a CO Yurt dweller & lover of CO, these were fantastic to look at!!
I guess thats what u get when there’s no light pollution! That sky is amazing! But whats that lightning streak in two of the pics. So cool!
Lu, those “lightning streaks” in two of the pictures are people’s headlamps moving through the frames during the long exposure.
HI, I WAS THE PERSON ALONG WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS, WHO DEVELOPED JAMES PEAK YURT. THESE ARE BY FAR THE BEST PHOTOS, WOW. THIS WAS MY PLAN TO HAVE A GREAT SPOT WHERE FRIENDS COULD ENJOY A WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE . I AM SO GLAD YOU SHARED THIS. THANKS SO MUCH. JIM
Jim, thank you for the comment. And the yurt! It was an awesome experience to be out at the yurt with friends enjoying the beauty of the Colorado wilderness.
Can’t wait for sustainable living event in FC this fall
going to help pitch a yurt…one of these days I will have
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