Inspiration for Union of Ypsilon and Fairchild

My “grand westward adventure” yielded several wonderful paintings including Union of Ypsilon and Fairchild. As I’ve said elsewhere, Rocky Mountain National Park contains painting opportunities hiding around every corner! I recall catching sight of this vista in the rear-view mirror while driving the steadily ascending highway in the park. It simply amazed me! Thankfully a shoulder or pull-off soon presented itself; I whipped the car around to capture source photos. Because of the high snow mass that May, the peaks were still blanketed in white powder. The lower regions of the park, however, overall donned an much more seasonal appearance. The effect was gorgeous! Pristine snow-capped peaks starkly contrasted the darker foreground, where cloud shadows silently sailed over trees and rocks.

Brief Info about the Two Peaks

The Mummy Range, located in southwestern Larimer County northwest of the town of Estes Park, extends north from Trail Ridge Road approximately 15 miles. The range contains several prominent peaks including Ypsilon and Fairchild Mountains. Hikers can easily access the peaks via the Lawn Lake Trail, which leads to “The Saddle” between Hagues Peak and Fairchild Mountain. Some trails offer reasonably challenging technical routes, but hikers can ascend them all via some steep hiking and mild scrambling after snow melt. To find out more technical aspects of the Mummy Range, Ypsilon and Fairchild Mountains, and Rocky Mountain National Park, visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummy_Range. For more information about the hiking trails around the Mummy Range, plus cool photos, check out Wildland Trekking.