A Day Trip to Medicine Bow

Since moving to Colorado, I’ve found a new appreciation for the value of day trips. No complicated itineraries, no weeks of packing and planning, just a few hours on the road, a destination in mind, and a chance to immerse myself in a landscape that feels new every time I see it. A few weeks back, I took the two hour drive to Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming, spending an afternoon photographing Lake Marie and the surrounding scenes. This was the perfect opportunity to try some new gear, refresh myself on some old classics, and practice keeping my gear efficient, my workflow simple, and my focus squarely on the light and the landscapes.

Before I even hit the road, I laid out my gear and made intentional choices about what came with me. I wanted everything I brought to have a clear purpose to avoid the sensation that I overpacked. For this outing, I carried the new ProMaster Cityscape 2.0 backpack. I’ve fallen in love with the size it offers for a single day of shooting, especially for how compact, rigid, and organized the system is. The thoughtful design makes a huge difference, including a side access to grab my camera quickly, a tripod holder that fits my XC-M 525CK securely, and more than enough compartments to keep small essentials from getting lost at the bottom of the main storage section.

Inside, I packed my Rugged SD cards which are always stored safely in a Rugged card case. I also made sure to bring along my arsenal of HGX Prime filters, including a Circular Polarizer, Variable ND, and Protection. As for battery life, I stored a pack of my USB-C batteries fully charged, in case I decided to run a few timelapses on my A7RV. Speaking of timelapses, I also brought along my XCM-525 tripod for not just stability in the mountains, but a lightweight build that makes hikes - even short - manageable. I can speak from experience that the elevation out west is no joke, and my Wisconsin lungs took quite the toll initially. Each of these items earned its place in my kit because I knew they would help me work quickly and confidently, without any compromise of image quality.

Once I was packed, it was time to hit the road for a fun two hour drive into the mountains.

Medicine Bow is one of those places that I knew would be a staple location for me upon moving to Fort Collins. The towering peaks I had seen in my research combined with alpine lakes truly made this place irresistible. I had high hopes for this first excursion. By the time I pulled into the Lake Marie trailhead, I found myself drawn to the swarm of wildflowers along the shoreline. I’ll humbly admit I could not tell you what type of flowers I was looking at, but I knew that they would photograph well, especially if I focus-stacked with the mountains in the distance.

The XCM-525 tripod was invaluable for this. I had no issue bringing my Tamron 17-28mm up close and personal to the flowers and let my camera bracket some shots for me to nail focus from front to back. My HGX Prime CPL was a game changer on the lake itself, as well, cutting any remaining glare when I wanted to deepen the contrast in the sky above.

Every shot I captured went onto Rugged SD cards that I trust without any hesitation. I’ve been using the Rugged line for years, and not once have they ever given me any pause. Knowing my images are secure enables me to focus on the moment (literally and figuratively), not the technology. Power was never a concern either thanks to the USB-C batteries, even if I ran a few S&Q timelapses. Shooting all afternoon took its toll, but having spares meant I was never out of commission.

Now that I’ve become accustomed to driving in the mountains, I chose to cap off this afternoon of shooting earlier than I typically do. After all, the purpose of a “day trip” is in its name. I didn’t want to be home at an obscenely late hour, so departing the trailhead by 5pm meant I’d be home in time to unwind and review my footage before the evening had gotten away from me. Maintaining a smooth transition from field to desk is a crucial piece of balance that I find underappreciated, but tremendously important. I was pleased that my day at Medicine Bow followed this transition successfully, and my images represented my afternoon well.

Trips like this remind me that photography doesn’t always require faraway travel or weeks of preparation. With the right mindset and the right tools, even a single afternoon can yield images that are deserving of a framed print. For me, relying on gear like the Cityscape 2.0 backpack, Rugged SD cards, HGX Prime filters, the XCM-525 tripod, and more, makes all the difference in keeping these quick trips (Midwest pun intended) smooth and efficient. Everything has its place, everything works when I need it, and I can stay focused on the balance of efficiency and creativity that makes day trips so rewarding. The next drive I take into the mountains, I already know my gear will instill confidence once again.