I had originally hoped to spend a lot of time in Rocky Mountain National Park on this trip, but my schedule unfortunately only allotted me a couple days time. On top of this, I had the misfortune of going over the fourth of July weekend, which meant the park was filled with tourists nearly the entire time. Nevertheless, I did manage to encounter some wildlife within the park.

Most of this wildlife came on Trail Ridge Road, high above the treeline in the alpine tundra. There, we encountered a group of what I assume are elk. With the abundance of dark storm clouds in the area and the fact that the elk were at a slightly higher elevation, I was able to compose some fairly dramatic images of these creatures. In addition, spotting these guys wasn't too difficult. The traffic essentially came to a standstill on the road whenever wildlife appeared, which provided me with ample time to photograph them.

Aside from this experience along Trail Ridge Road, the only other photographically successful encounter I had with wildlife occurred near the Alluvial Fan, a rock and waterfall debris field lower in the park. Here, I happened to stumble upon a lone doe, who quickly scurried off shortly after I spotted her. Though I certainly expected to see wildlife in the park, I never anticipated the impact these creatures would have on me. Having the opportunity to photograph these majestic creatures, if only for a moment, created a sense of personal connection to the environment around me.