The images in this gallery are from four Christmas visits (2010, 2011, 2015, 2016). Each stay at the lodge was enjoyable but the weather conditions varied.

January 2011 Blog Post ( http://www.corinthrose.wordpress.com) Hoarfrost is a somewhat difficult and unusual subject to capture with the camera. The white frozen dew clung to tree branches and leaves as my hiking buddy and I trekked up the trail, dodging heavy-laden branches drooped across the well-worn path. The sky a beautiful blue backdrop—the frigid temperature in the 20’s—and the damp air a perfect environment for a heavy deposit of needle-like ice crystals. Cracking ice, dripping droplets, and the enveloping hoarfrost twisted around every branch, twig, leaf, and weed in this enchanted wonderland. Pausing often and taking note of the snapping sounds of the crystal cathedral and our labored breathing in the crisp air, only to be interrupted by echoes of vehicles and distant gunshots (hunters). The outside world struggled to encroach throughout our three-miles of solitude—a silent interlude at 2,753 feet.

Our Christmas Day hike in the woods was a magical momentary photography session beneath a canopy of frozen dew and ice crystals, also known as radiation frost. Some of the most remarkable photo opportunities are possible during the least appealing weather. Our brief snapshot peered into a fleeting sliver of time, a quiet hush beneath the wooded covering.

Only a pleasant memory of a hike in the wooded cathedral at sun’s setting. We were in the right place, at the right time. What a blessed frosty gift from a tender loving Creator.
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Be sure to visit http://www.corinthrose.wordpress.com for the 2011 Mt. Magazine State Park update, or just click on "blog" in the top menu bar. Happy Reading.