Some of my earliest memories are from making the hour long commute from Evergreen, Colorado to Winter Park and driving over Berthoud Pass. The vision of the peak with the iconic bear-claw-looking inscription is forever lamented in my recollection. But every time I drive over the pass, I swear that the Continental Divide looks bigger and even more breathtaking.
As I was driving back over the pass after a day of skiing, I pulled off the road several times trying to find a perfect setup to shoot the sunset that was beginning to take its shape. Soon an incredible ambient coral light illuminated the tops of the eastern peaks, while a glowing purple sat looming in the base of the valley, welcoming darkness.
I've never seen such candescent lighting on Berthoud before. I passed an estimated five tourists on the side of the road taking pictures on their iPhones, a record number of viewers for the pass. The light began to disappear quickly, so I set up my tripod and attempted to angle my camera to best absorb light of all sorts.
I didn't even notice the subtle cloud surrounding the bear claw until I pulled the image up on my computer later that night.