Hitting the trail for an alpine start is a thrilling way to start the day! Or should I say, night! I woke up at 2:30 am to make sure I was on the road by 3:00 am so I could make it to the trailhead by 4:30 am so we could start hiking and get the sunrise while we were standing next to the alpine lake. It’s really the best way to take in the start of the day… hiking with the stars while the sky is slowly getting a little bit bluer every minute and the sun starts to come up as the sky finds some pinks and purples. I love sunrise engagment sessions!

Dana and Casey are such an amazing Colorado couple to work with! Meeting your couple for the first time in person with headlamps on is really funny cause you can’t actually see their face, and the last time you did was on FaceTime, like months before. So when the sun is finally out and your not just chatting with some headlights in the middle of the forest, you get to say “Hello!” again as your eye are adjusted and you can actually see cause the sun is finally out!

When we were heading to the lake we had our eyes set on the lookout for moose that are often viewed in the area. We were only surprised by some adorable ptarmigans that were waking up. It was so fun to see them in the summer with their brown coats on. When we arrived at the lake that was hidden above tree line, the sun wasn’t above the horizon but below the colors of sunrise where perfectly changing. When the sunrise alpine glow started it was spectacular as the peak above us turned pink. When you wake up for sunrise, you can’t get a bad view at a lake like this one. The colors and textures of light are constantly changing and giving us new views and scenery to embrace.

Dana & Casey found friendship while skiing on the mountain together after being introduced at work. After an afternoon of riding lifts together they couldn’t help but go on a date a few weeks later and I guess you could say the rest is history! They love to backpack together in the summertime and ski together in the winter. We toasted some champagne to celebrate these two tying the knot next summer! They are so freaking cute together, I can’t wait to photograph their wedding and get to know them this even better this year! Here’s a few photographs from our adventure hiking engagment session!