Location, Location, Location!
I remember the stressful days as a child going to get family photos at JcPenny's or someplace similar. When we began our photography journey we decided immediately we didn't want to bring that stress to a family. Especially if the photos turned out like mine, not a smile in the room. Instead of repeating the cycle for that type of family photos, we want to show families an adventure.
On the road to the mountains!
An adventure....but who to test this on? Why not our own family? A message was sent to my bonus daughter to talk about outfits. Matching pjs were quickly dismissed as an option, as was anything that was exactly matchy. We shopped for outfits. I mean we really shopped. So many stores (Target, Walmart, Kohls, etc.. Let me tell you that's no easy feat for our family. An older teen bonus daughter in the Army, two bonus teenage boys and 9-year-old twins. I despise shopping with every fiber of my being, unless it’s for photoshoots. It’s always too hot, too “peoply,” and nothing fits right. Which brought our next problem, getting everyone together....
For us this was months of planning. With blended families living in different states and one in the Army it takes some effort to pull off a family photo shoot. The Southwest situation stole a beautiful family moment from us. My bonus sons were unable to visit their dad or see their sister who is being deployed. You left so many heartbroken. I'm sorry SW but your 25,000 points to fly just isn’t going to cut it. Those miles cannot replace what was taken away from our family and many others.
I digress, after we found outfits for all seven of us, we had to find a location. I had a vision in mind as there often is when it comes to photography. I wanted a snow-capped valley surrounding us. Now this doesn’t sound like a tall order when it comes to Colorado….it somehow slipped my mind it would be the end of December when we took these photos.
On Christmas Day we had made plans to check a few locations out. By the end it felt like a Griswold Family Christmas! Our first stop would be just outside of Frisco at Officer’s Gulch. I had previously gone to this location in the summertime with the kids to go fishing and hiking with Auntie Kristin. It was a much different world in the winter! We really liked the location, but it wasn’t quite my vision.
Officer’s Gulch
Chris and Sophia Reamsnyder - Officer’s Gulch 2022
We decided to keep driving and stopped at a few “scenic areas” before and after Hanging Lake. Grizzly Creek Trailhead looked like it could be an interesting hike. At the No Name scenic area there was a cat hanging out. We even seriously considered Hanging Lake. Until we found it cost $10 per hiker. I was not sure of my capability to hike so soon after surgery. That idea was quickly scrapped, and we continued our drive to Maroon Bells in Aspen.
Grizzly Creek Trailhead
Cat or familiar? - No Name scenic area
From our home Maroon Bells is a four-hour drive! I mentioned adventure, right? The glittering snow on the mountains was breathtaking. I find myself in awe of the mountains every day. A couple pit stops later we finally arrived, kind of. The “parking lot” was a madhouse. The road to the entrance for the hike to Maroon Bells was closed due to snow. Families were skiing and dogsledding on the road! It was an incredible sight.
Just outside of Aspen
We walked for so time just taking in nature. It would be a two hour hike from the entrance, from the road much longer….We stopped to take a few pictures and came to the conclusion I was not ready for that kind of shenanigans. Back in the truck we went!
Closed road to Maroon Bells visitor center
Hiked the closed road for a bit!
At this point the sun was starting to drop. We were ready to go home. I was not ready for the black abyss that awaited us on the road. I suppose the time I’ve spent in the mountains was always done before dark or not long after dark. There were no streetlights. It really was pitch black!
Vail, Colorado - Christmas Day 2023
On the drive home we decided the best place to go would indeed be Officer’s Gulch.
Stay tuned for part two!
