Walter's Hut Trip - 10th Mountain Huts

Just back from 3 days on the mountain at Walter’s Hut - part of the Shrine Mountain group of 10th Mountain Huts at Vail Pass. I have been doing hut trips annually for almost 30 years with this group of friends and it’s one of the highlights of my year. We missed a few due to Covid but this was my first back & loved it!

All photos taken with Iphones as I try to keep my pack light but went up the mountain with 32 pounds in my pack including almost 6 pounds of water! The last few images are from the other Shrine Mountain huts, Chuck’s & Jay’s, which are equally nice and so well maintained! And different than most other huts, these have running water and indoor flush toilets!

10th Mountain Huts THANK YOU! www.huts.org

Chuck’s - Sleeps 6 up and 6 down

Jay’s Hut - Sleeps 12

A print found at the hut of someone’s night shot of Jay’s (not my photo!)

Stories from the HEART

Seeing hearts has always been a fun experience. I do know that of all the geometric shapes, hearts come rather easy naturally. Leaves are often in heart shapes as are puddles, soil, clouds, and so many other things. But I also have found if you look for hearts you will find hearts, and if you look for poop you will find poop. I was learning hindi at the time and we learned to say Everywhere Hearts and Everywhere Poop - Har Jagah Dils aur Har Jagah Gobar. A great lesson in intentions.

This came together for me in India in 2018 with a group of women on a yoga retreat. We were in the mountains, meditating every morning and every leaf , stone, rock, cloud and poo were looking like hearts. Then after I shared this with my friends and the staff, the universe brought me more hearts. These first ones were brought from the US by one friend and she would leave them outside my door each morning!

Happy Valentines Day! From my heart to yours!

Boulder Snowy Morning

Snowy winter mornings are so great for photographs! It was 5 degrees below zero when I headed out the door to catch the sunrise AND the new snow this morning. 7 am and the sun was just rising.

The first few shots were taken in North Boulder and then I drove into the mountains up Olde Stage Road and Left Hand Canyon. Heil Valley Ranch was absolutely beautiful and I had it all to myself with the cold temps!

The last three images were processed in HDR (high dynamic range) giving a painterly feel to the images. Sometimes it works and sometimes it’s too unreal. But the snow had such a surreal feeling, the processing seems to work here.

Snowy Boulder Sunrise

Snowy Boulder Barn at Sunrise

Heil Valley Ranch with a herd of elk behind

Heil Valley Ranch

Left Hand Canyon Home in Snow

Altona Schoolhouse

Altona Schoolhouse

North Boulder Sunrise with HDR Painterly Edit

Winter Indoor Gardens

One of my favorite pastimes in the winter months is forcing flowers from bulbs. It brings so many shoots of growth & hope while the snow is coming down outside. This year I have photographed both Amaryllis and Paperwhite Narcissus (the low scent type.) One winter I had fun with some timelapse photography & documenting daffodils blooming - what a riot! I will need to go look for those old videos!

The Amaryllis was more successful than the Paper Whites but this gardener made some common mistakes in planting. But both brought some great joy & beauty this winter. These were all taken with my Nikon D750 with a Nikkor 60mm macro lens.

Red Amaryllis Closeup

Red Amaryllis Closeup

Paperwhite Narcissus Closeup

Paperwhite Narcissus

Paperwhite Narcissus

Lavender moved in from outdoor garden

Crestone Zen Center Yoga Photos

August 2021 and 2022 allowed me to go Crestone Colorado and photograph a women’s yoga retreat with Jeanie Manchester, a friend and yoga teacher in Boulder. We stayed at the Crestone Zen Center and had 4 days of beautiful yoga, mantra meditation & connection in this dome. This year I even saw a bear from the safety of my car. But there was NOT enough time to get a photo.

Happy Earth Day Everyday!

April 22nd was designated as Earth Day back in 1970 and now it is often referred to Earth Day Every Day! Some have called it Earth Month! Obviously our Mother Earth needs our care more today than anytime in the past. She is hurting and she needs us! Working from Boulder, Colorado there is a lot of emphasis on environmental issues here so it’s top of mind for many of us. But what could we do differently? What can we change? I will end on this beautiful quote:

“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match that of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” - Joseph Campbell

Beaton Photography in India

A dream come true arrived in my inbox in 2018. Could I photograph a women’s yoga retreat in India for local Boulder yoga teacher Kirsten Warner at Devi Yoga for Women? An enthusiastic YES and 6 weeks later I was on my way to India for 3 weeks of work.

The trip was life-changing for me and am still trying to find words to describe my time in India. The last 10 days of the trip were spent in and around Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, and along the amazing Ganga River each day. Soon I realized I could NOT get on that plane home and needed more time. So I changed my return flight to one week later, and at the end of that week, I couldn’t return either, so I ended up staying for 4 months in India! A trip of a lifetime!

Years later I am still retelling the stories of some of the beautiful people I met and the amazing experiences.