A couple of weeks ago a group of us ended up hiking from Thornton Gap up to Mary's Rock in Shenandoah National Park. Although the valley was clear and not particularly cold, Skyline Drive was closed due to snow and ice. We must have been quite the sight for the fee station ranger. All of us had come from a memorial service and were dressed for that occasion: dresses, suits, ties, dress shoes, and wool overcoats. We changed in the parking lot and entered a fogged-in winter wonderland of hoar frost, snow and ice. It was beautiful and good to see old friends.
A little bird on a rock. I don't know my birds, so if anyone knows what it is, feel free to tell me.
Michael on Mary's Rock
The clouds lifted for just a little bit while we were on Mary's Rock
Michael petting a friend's dog.
Hoar frost on some branches.
The trail. We were all glad to have microspikes in some form or another.
This past weekend, we made a failed attempt at seeing the northern lights. It turns out that they weren't visible at all this far south. We were too close to the lights of the metro area anyway and couldn't find a good spot that was particularly dark. I did try some star photography, though. These aren't super clear, for a variety of reasons, but it was a fun first attempt.
A covered bridge with the lower half of Orion visible just above and to the right of the bridge.
The Big Dipper
