This wonderful Colorado mountain scene captures the stark beauty of a cold winter chill. The Gore Range is locked in a six month freeze, and covered in a ever-building layer of snowfall. This photograph dates back to 2005, and gives evidence of a hearty stand of lodgepole pines. Since then, this seemingly strong pine forest has given in to a tiny pest, the pine bark beetle. Today, the forest appears almost dead, a tragedy to man, a course of natural events to an indifferent cosmos.
     The very rugged Gore Range, one of John Fielder's favorites, is said to be quite different from most other ranges in Colorado. These mountains consist of peaks which form a line, or a series of consistent steep ridges, creating a challenging opportunity for ridge running.
     The jagged mountain range runs for approximately 60 miles through Vail and Summit counties, mostly encompassed by the Eagles Nest Wilderness. Geologically, the Gore Range is seen as an extension of the Park Range, stretching southward from Rabbit Ears Pass to the Eagle River, nearby Vail. Easily seen on a clear day from the summit of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, this view was taken from Ute Pass Road.