I woke up on the morning of Matt and Lorrie's engagement session to find fresh snow had fallen on the mountains high above the town of Frisco, Colorado. The first snowfall in the mountains is always refreshing and so exciting! I peeked out the window and a smile lit up my face. I love the long awaited Summers in the High Country but honestly, I just love seeing the seasons turn and change. I stayed there in my cozy warm bed a bit longer and eventually persuaded my feet to hit the floor. It was cold, a reminder of the oncoming winter and I immediately made the decision to head out to grab coffee and breakfast before packing up my camera gear.
From the start of our conversation, Matt and Lorrie were up for a fun adventure session. They had moved from Chicago out to Colorado and were in love with the mountains. Their only stipulation was to capture their story when the aspen leaves were still in full vibrant color. This can be tough as each year brings a new set of seasonal exceptions - some years the aspens are in full swing by mid September (and even earlier if there are wildfires (the smoke acts as a filter for the sun causing the leaves to think the days are growing shorter), other years we wait as long as mid October to see the Fall colors. After scouting potential trails near Frisco, Colorado, we decided on one of my favorite spots near the bike path that runs through town. A secluded and quiet side trail called Miner’s Creek with lots of aspens where we could spend the afternoon hiking together.
Choosing a date for their engagement session remained tentative as Fall is so quick here (about 2 weeks) and we wanted to catch the perfect time to see the full colors of the Colorado aspen leaves. As I stated earlier, the aspens can change at different times which makes timing a bit tougher to plan for! We watched and stayed in touch, as the first colors began popping up we picked a date in late September. I am very happy to say that we timed their session just right and we caught the aspens turning brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows all around us. Much less, that snow that had fallen on the mountains that morning? Epic, freaking beautiful. When reviewing their photos I thought, "I really could not be more thrilled that not only did we end up catching the fantastic colors but we were lucky enough to capture their love and affection for one another with beautiful snow laden mountains." How awesome is that? Fall in Colorado is a gorgeous season by itself, but when Fall and Winter collide, nothing can really compare.
The three of us met in Frisco at Miner’s Creek trailhead to begin our adventure through the winding aspen tunnels. Lorrie and Matt are above all else best friends, and they exuded so much love from the moment they stepped out of the car. They are both kind, laugh with sparkles in their eyes, and neither could contain their sweet smiles and adoration for one another. We hiked quite a ways up the trail, making pit stops for a photos here and there. Mostly we just hung out and took in the stunning views of aspens and mountains. As we hiked in the chilly air they snuggled up closer together as though they were straight out of a Hallmark movie. As we came to the end of our hike we were stunned by some absolute trail magic. It had been a cloudy overcast day but as the sun descended in the sky it dropped below the clouds and the aspen leaves lit up like fire. We slowly hiked back down Miner’s Creek trail through these fire laden Fall tunnels, not really wanting our time to end.
Walking into the clearing towards the end of our hike, the clouds moved off and left pieces of the clear blue Colorado sky. I asked the two lovebirds to spend just a few more minutes with me so that we could capture the glow of the sunset and they were willing. Thank goodness because these last few moments ended up being some of my favorite photos from their engagement session. Here is a sneak peek of their adventure with me and the first true snow of the season!