For a little while at dawn, the highest peaks are illuminated by the soft morning light reflected through atmospheric particles giving the mountains a magical glow. The alpenglow.

In late spring I was out for my early morning walk and saw this beautiful scene over the Rockies. The very top of Mount Evans and the surrounding peaks was a delicate gold, then transitioned down the mountain sides to coral, pink, and violet. The colors were simply amazing on the snow-capped front range.

It was a morning with low clouds hovering right above the horizon with subtle rays of light that seemed to extend from the glow of the peaks. I could hardly believe how beautiful it was! The magic lasted only a few moments, and then it was gone. Yet it was so pretty that I wanted to share, and the image Soft Morning Alpenglow was born.