Rocky Mountain Sunrise With Big Buck

Colorado CR 69

"Serene" - that is the word that comes to mind when I look at this image I got yesterday morning. I took this photo at an elevation of about 9,000 feet. It had snowed overnight, covering everything with a fresh dusting of snow. Leftover clouds and fog were still drifting through the valley behind the pine and pinon trees, bordering this alpine meadow, and the first rays of the sun found their way through the haze, painting a warm orange alpen glow on the tall peaks of Colorado's Rockies. I started taking photos of the beautiful, quiet scenery, when suddenly a big buck stepped out of the forest right into the viewfinder. His "harem" was close by but stayed mostly among the trees, except for one doe, visible in the attached photo. For a minute or so, the big buck simply stood motionless in the snowy meadow, seemingly enjoying the complete silence. Only interrupted a few times by the clicking sounds of my shutter, which actually sounded more like loud cracks in the tranquility of the scene. Then he turned and vanished back into the forest. A truly beautiful experience. Lucky me...