Neil writes:
This a different perspective on the often photographed Maroon Bells,1 near Aspen, Colorado. I used a telephoto lens to compress the depth of field between the peaks and the trees in the foreground.
Neil Ellis Photos: Neil is great friend who plays a respectable round of golf, identifies unseen birds by their calls, completes the New York Times Friday Crossword in ink, and snaps a heck of a photo. His photos are featured here at AllanShowalter.com and can be found collected at Neil Ellis Photos.
Note: Originally posted Sept15, 2007 at 1HeckOfAGuy.com, a predecessor of AllanShowalter.com
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- “The Maroon Bells is a mountain in the Elk Mountains that consists of two peaks, South Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak, separated by about a third of a mile. South Maroon Peak, at 14,156 feet, is the 27th highest peak in Colorado; North Maroon Peak, at 14,014 feet, is the 50th highest. A National Park Service sign on the access trail refers to these mountains as “The Deadly Bells” and warns would-be climbers of “downsloping, loose, rotten and unstable” rock that “kills without warning”. Unlike other mountains in the Rockies that are composed of granite and limestone, the Bells are composed of metamorphic sedimentary mudstone that has hardened into rock over millions of years. Mudstone is weak and fractures readily, giving rise to dangerously loose rock along almost any route. The mudstone is responsible for the Bells’ distinctive maroon color. The Bells got their “deadly” name in 1965 when eight people died in five separate accidents.” Information excerpted from Brainy Encyclopedia [↩]