Separated a bit from the herd because of his youth and lack of dominance, a young bull elk weathers the first snowstorm of the year in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. I was staying an hour or so away, and I had never photographed the elk rut before, so I made a run up into the park in my two wheel drive rental car, only to encounter the first good snowfall of the year. I of course stayed for the whole day anyway, and spent a good chunk of time photographing the big, dominant bulls chasing each other around and asserting their dominance. This should wound up being one of my favorites from the day though. The drive out of the park and back down out of the snow was sketchy at best, but I made it with no drama.