I lensed this image of one of the numerous unnamed lakes that are part of the Cutthroat Glacial Lakes below Glover Peak in the Wind River Mountain Range of Wyoming. I was flying southbound from Montana to Utah early in the morning as the sun was barely rising in the east. I was attracted to this scene by the velveteen softness of the morning moisture in the air as it lay softly on the side of the mountain, emanating from the cold lake water and reacting to the air, slowly warming from the early dawn light.
The Wind River Range covers an area 2.25 million acres large and is part of a triple divide, providing water for three major western watersheds: the Columbia River, the Colorado River, and the Missouri.
The Winds (as they are known locally) are the most popular section of the Bridger Wilderness of western Wyoming. This is an intensely rugged part of the Rocky Mountains, extending for approximately 80 miles along the western slope of the Continental Divide. This range contains a unique combination of sharp jagged granite rock, lush alpine forests, and beautiful open alpine meadows.
this wilderness holds 7 of the 10 largest glaciers in the Lower 48, more than 2,300 crystalline lakes and ponds, and numerous glacier-carved cirques, kettles, valleys, and hanging troughs.
Serving as the headwaters for the mighty Green River, the Winds contain more than 40 named peaks over 13,000 feet, including Gannett Peak, Wyoming's highest at 13,804 feet.
Seven of the 10 largest glaciers in the Rocky Mountains are found here, including the single largest glacier in the American Rockies.
There are over 1,300 named lakes in the Wind River Range, and more than 2,300 crystalline lakes and ponds, and numerous glacier-carved cirques, kettles, valleys, and hanging troughs.
The Continental Divide uniquely crests the Wind River Range's entire length.
From "Where Eagles Fly - The American Wilderness Expedition" my personal project of exploration in the North American Wilderness.
I am on a mission to raise awareness of our Iconic Natural Heritage Treasures of North America.
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Yehaw!