Kevin Palmer

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  • It's not easy to find water that's not frozen in Abisko National Park in the winter. But the river was flowing fast enough here that the middle was kept ice-free.
    Cold Flow
  • I found this warming hut that's part of the nordic ski trails a few months ago while exploring the area. I thought it would be a great place to hike to on the night of winter solstice. It's above 8,000 feet elevation and the thermometer there was reading 0°F. But the wood burning stove warmed up the place quickly.
    Out of the Cold
  • It only stuck around for a few hours, but this is how May started in Sheridan.
    Cold Winding Path
  • An early season snowstorm stranded me in the Bighorn Basin an extra day. I tried to make the most of it by visiting the mustangs west of Greybull. Last time I was here I saw the entire herd of nearly 100 wild horses. But this time, despite driving for miles and scanning with binoculars, these were the only 2 I could find. But they gave me plenty of photo opportunities as they galloped across the hills with snowflakes in the air. The McCullough Peaks mustangs are believed to be descendants of Buffalo Bill’s horses from his Wild West Show. They are 1 of 2 herds of wild horses found on BLM land in northern Wyoming.
    Cold and Free
  • It was 1AM and the stars were twinkling wildly above the Bighorn Mountains. Twinkling (also known as scintillation) is caused by the earth's atmosphere bending or refracting starlight. Planets do not twinkle because they are not a pinpoint source of light. The effect is most noticeable on nights with strong winds and differing air temperatures in the upper atmosphere. The wind chill on this night at 7,000 feet was far below zero Fahrenheit. In the center of the photo is Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. It is visible from anywhere on earth except for the very northern Arctic. Sirius is known for twinkling a rainbow of colors when it first rises. On the upper right is the constellation Orion with the bright band of the winter milky way to the left.
    Sirius-ly Cold
  • Kaskaskia Canyon contains a 20 foot high waterfall, with several dead trees that fell down and became stuck. Behind it is this cave. The ice in the cave was just barely thick enough to support my weight and I could see fish swimming underneath. I liked the way the light was reflecting on the ice.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: January 6, 2015
    Cold Cavern
  • Cold Lick Creek
  • On a subzero morning at Starved Rock State Park, very intricate and delicate frost formed on this icy creek. I felt like I was destroying a work of art every time I took a step. The golden sunlit canyon walls are reflected in one of the only unfrozen portions of La Salle Creek.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/24/13
    Cold as Gold
  • The Tetons glow in the light of sunrise on a frosty morning while the Snake River flows quietly below. It is this exact view that I used to create my logo/watermark. One of the reasons the Tetons are so majestic is because this range has no foothills. The mountains rise abruptly 7,000 feet above the valley floor in only about 3 miles. On long winter nights cold air tends to slide down the steep slopes and becomes trapped under an inversion layer in the Jackson Hole Valley. With the Tetons to the west, Absarokas to the north, and the Gros Ventre mountains to the east, the air has nowhere to go. This leads to some seriously cold temperatures. In the last month alone it has reached -20°F or colder on 7 mornings. In 1933 the temperature here dropped to a bone-chilling -66°F, making it among the coldest temperatures ever measured in the US outside of Alaska.
    Winter Teton Sunrise
  • The Tetons glow in the light of sunrise on a frosty morning while the Snake River flows quietly below. It is this exact view that I used to create my logo/watermark that I put in the corner of every picture I upload. One of the reasons the Tetons are so majestic is because this range has no foothills. The mountains rise abruptly 7,000 feet above the valley floor in only about 3 miles. On long winter nights cold air tends to slide down the steep slopes and becomes trapped under an inversion layer in the Jackson Hole Valley. With the Tetons to the west, Absarokas to the north, and the Gros Ventre mountains to the east, the air has nowhere to go. This leads to some seriously cold temperatures. In the last month alone it has reached -20°F or colder on 7 mornings. In 1933 the temperature here dropped to a bone-chilling -66°F, making it among the coldest temperatures ever measured in the US outside of Alaska.
    South, Middle, and Grand Teton B&W
  • The average temperature in space is -454° F. It wasn't quite that cold at Spring Lake, but it nearly felt like it. I've been looking forward to the milky way's return to the morning sky for months. I would have preferred warmer temperatures for my first shot of the year. But the best thing about arctic air is it often brings perfectly clear and transparent skies. Venus was just 2 weeks past it's peak in brightness, casting a nice reflection on the ice.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: February 26, 2014
    Ice and Space
  • While coming down from the Bighorn Mountains I was treated to a dramatic sunset ahead of an incoming snowstorm. The mostly hidden peak on the left is Darton Peak, with Peak Angeline in the middle. Both of them are over 12,000 feet high. I often wonder what it would be like to watch a sunset like this from the summit of a tall peak in the winter. One thing for sure is that it would be brutally cold. This picture almost didn't happen because I was in a rush to return my rental skis before the shop closed at 6:00. After taking this one last shot I made it there with 2 minutes to spare.
    Flaming Winter Sunset
  • It’s one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. At the terminus of the Castner Glacier in the highest mountain range in North America is this frozen cave. I’m sure it’s easier to get to in the summer. But with 2 feet of snow covering the trail, and moose tracks outnumbering those of humans, I almost gave up on finding it. The cave is not visible until you’re standing right at the entrance. Inside is a world of ice reflecting every shade of blue. Rocks and gravel were locked in the ceiling just waiting to fall. It felt like I was in the belly of a giant beast, examining what it ate for breakfast hundreds of years ago. Down the middle flowed a silty stream. Further back very little light reaches and a water crossing prevented further exploration. Eery booming sounds came from deep within the darkness. But at least I felt safer visiting during the cold season when the glacier wasn’t actively melting. Many maps and descriptions of this place are no longer accurate. Glacier caves are temporary features which change from year to year, and as the Castner Glacier recedes there’s no telling how long this cave will last.
    A World of Ice
  • It was a cold and moist night at Devil's Tower with a few too many clouds. But the milky way was visible for a short time.
    Galactic Tower
  • The last light on the cliffs of Piney Creek Canyon is reflected in the cold water.
    Gold Under Ice
  • While hiking to Tower Fall in Yellowstone National Park last winter I came across this bison bull grazing above the trail. I slowly made my way past while watching for any signs of aggression. At one point I could see his breath as he exhaled into the cold air and I had my camera ready. Bison are the biggest land mammals found in North America, with bulls weighing up to 1 ton. They typically live for 12 to 15 years. But it's always a struggle to survive the harsh Wyoming winters, with up to 40% of calves succumbing before their their first year. They will forage for grass wherever the snow cover is thinner such as thermal areas or on steep hillsides as this bull was doing. If the snow is too deep, the hump on their back enables them to pivot their head from side to side, sweeping away snow like a plow. Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times. Their population dwindled to just two dozen in the early 1900's, but they now number at close to 5,000 animals.
    Bison Breath
  • Stars rise above Black Mountain on a cold winter night.
    Black Night
  • Orion shines above the High Park meadow as seen from the lookout tower on a cold January night.
    Orion and Snowy Cliff
  • It’s one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. At the terminus of the Castner Glacier in the highest mountain range in North America is this frozen cave. I’m sure it’s easier to get to in the summer. But with 2 feet of snow covering the trail, and moose tracks outnumbering those of humans, I almost gave up on finding it. The cave is not visible until you’re standing right at the entrance. Inside is a world of ice reflecting every shade of blue. Rocks and gravel were locked in the ceiling just waiting to fall. It felt like I was in the belly of a giant beast, examining what it ate for breakfast hundreds of years ago. Down the middle flowed a silty stream. Further back very little light reaches and a water crossing prevented further exploration. Eery booming sounds came from deep within the darkness. But at least I felt safer visiting during the cold season when the glacier wasn’t actively melting. Many maps and descriptions of this place are no longer accurate. Glacier caves are temporary features which change from year to year, and as the Castner Glacier recedes there’s no telling how long this cave will last.
    Gravel Striations
  • Ever since I saw the strange name (Leaky Mountain) on a map, I was intrigued by it. Located in the northern Bighorn Mountains, I could find little information about this waterfall online and no pictures. But I soon realized the reason: there's no easy way here. On the last weekend of April I took advantage of the warm weather and set out to find it. From the trailhead on the MT/WY border it's a 19 mile roundtrip hike, and I camped downstream. The next morning I climbed to the base, but there was no trail to follow, with steep terrain and thick vegetation lying between me and the falls. Numerous thorns, snowbanks, loose talus, water crossings and mud all had to be navigated around as I followed my ears to the source of the stream. Snowmelt and groundwater seeps into the limestone cliffs from above. Cold, pure spring water gushes out of the side of the mountain in multiple cascades. Behind me stretched out a panoramic view of Little Horn Canyon and the higher snowcapped peaks. With all the difficulty in reaching this place, once I finally got here I didn't want to leave.
    Leaky Mountain Falls
  • The morning dawned bright and clear on top of Granite Butte. The sun doesn't make it above the horizon until after 8AM this time of year. When I arrived on the summit the evening before, visibility was limited to 50 feet. But now the freezing fog had settled into the valleys, trapped below an inversion layer. Underneath that fog is Montana's capital city of Helena. Between shooting meteors all night and keeping the wood burning stove going, I didn't get much sleep. But a sunrise like this makes it easy to wake up. The weather can be extremely harsh up here. It was at a pass 16 miles away where the coldest temperature in the US (outside of Alaska) was once measured at -70°F. While it wasn't quite that cold on this morning, I was still glad to have a fire lookout tower to stay in and escape from the nearly incessant wind.
    8:09 Sunrise
  • Several feet of dry powdery snow covered the ice at Sibley Lake. It was nearly 4AM on the longest night of the year and the crescent moon was lighting up the cold scene.
    Snowy Sibley Panorama
  • On a cold December morning at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, I caught these young bighorn sheep in a little scuffle. When rams battle with each other the sound of their horns clashing can be heard from up to a mile away. But these two only butted heads once. Dozens of bighorn sheep spend their winters here at lower elevations, where the snow isn't as deep and food is easier to access.
    Bighorn Clash
  • Skibotn, Norway, is the furthest north I've ever traveled. But despite the high latitude, the moderating influence of the Arctic Ocean on the weather was obvious. After descending from the cold Finnish highlands, the temperature soared to just above freezing. The snow wasn't nearly as deep, and the water here was actually in a liquid state. My route to Narvik took me past several long fjords like this one. Even though more sunshine would have been nice, the views were majestic nonetheless. At almost every road pulloff I found myself stopping to take pictures. But this view was my favorite: a fishing trawler anchored off the coast with the dramatic peaks of the Lyngen Alps as a backdrop.
    Norwegian Fishing Trawler
  • It was 4AM in the grasslands of southeast Montana. I was spending the night under the stars while my camera clicked away, but the cold breeze made sleep hard to come by. I thought I detected a bright flash of light, but wasn't sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me. It wasn't until I got home that I found the source: a fireball meteor. According to American Meteor Society reports, the meteorite (if it survived) likely fell near the CO/WY border some 300 miles away. It theoretically should have been visible from at least 10 states, I can only imagine how bright it must have been overhead. The green color reveals the composition to be mostly nickel, and it left behind a vapor trail (known as a persistent train) for over 10 minutes afterwards. My only goal was to capture the milky way for the first time this year after it hid behind the sun for the winter. The fireball was just an unexpected bonus.
    One In a Million
  • The constellation Orion hangs above the snowy peaks of the Bighorn Mountains on a cold and windy night. The diffuse glow on the right is called the zodiacal light. This glow can only be seen where the skies are very dark, any light pollution will drown it out. The zodiacal light is caused by the sun reflecting off of grains of dust shed by comets and asteroids in the inner solar system. This dust is concentrated along the zodiac (also known as ecliptic), which is the orbital plane that the sun, moon, and planets travel in our sky. The planet Mars can be seen touching a cloud at the bottom of the glow. Because of the angle of the ecliptic, this phenomena is best seen in the west after dusk in the spring, or in the east before dawn in the fall.
    Glow of the Zodiac
  • Early on the morning of February 19th, the northern lights made an appearance in Central Illinois. It happened to be one of the few winter nights that was clear and not bitterly cold. There was still plenty of snow on the ground, and the barn was illuminated by a quarter moon. I waited around for many hours, but the aurora was only bright for about 10 minutes. That is how it often happens with mid-latitude auroras.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: February 19, 2014
    Barn and Pillars
  • On this night I found myself in the Arctic wilderness of Abisko National Park in Swedish Lapland. After trekking for 9.5 miles I arrived in this stunning valley in the Scandinavian Mountains. The northern lights came out right away when night fell. But I had to wait for them to become more active and spread to the eastern sky over the 5,000' high peak named Kieron. That happened after 11:00, when bright auroral curtains shimmered across the sky, lighting up the snow and turning it green. The temperature hovered at -10°F and a stiff wind was blowing across the frozen Abiskojaure lake. But this captivating view was worth every step to get here and every moment of cold endured.
    Midnight Flare-Up
  • The waterfall in Ottawa Canyon had frozen halfway to the ground on this cold 10 degree day. An ultrawide 10mm lens gave a unique perspective looking up from the end of the canyon.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: January 6, 2015
    Halfway There
  • Muskox are much easier to spot after a fresh snowfall. A week earlier they blended in with the landscape more.
    Morning Muskox
  • A snowshoe hare forages outside of Kangerlussuaq.
    Snowshoe Hare
  • My goal was to get an overview of the Teton Valley with the highest peaks lighting up at sunset. But despite the forecast for clear and sunny skies, I was dismayed when I got to the top and saw that the Tetons were hidden from view and the clouds were not going to lift. So I turned my attention to the west instead, looking towards Stouts Mountain and the Swan Valley. At first the light was flat there too, but then a gap in the clouds slowly began to open up. Sunbeams danced across the ridges and the light became better and better. Finally the sun came out for just a moment, and a pillar appeared above it caused by ice crystals suspended in the air. It wasn't the shot I had planned, but this short-lived sunset view was worth all the effort to snowshoe up this mountain.
    Big Hole Mountain Sunset
  • A moose cow and calf share a look while grazing on a snowy morning in Grand Teton National Park.
    Moose In a Snowstorm
  • On this day I headed up into the mountains with one goal: to capture the snow and fall colors together as two seasons collided. A snow storm occurring when the colors are at their peak is not something that happens every year. I wanted to be there the moment the storm ended and the sun came out, because fresh snow does not stay looking fresh for very long. Temperatures remained in the high 20’s all day and rime ice caused by freezing fog had coated the forest as well. The sun finally came out shortly after 5PM and then soon disappeared behind a nearby ridge. Aspen trees are not as widespread in the Bighorns as they are in other parts of the Rockies. Large clusters of them can be hard to find, but this stand across from Antelope Butte is one of the larger ones that I’m aware of. All the trees in an aspen stand are actually clones of one another. They are connected underground by a vast root system. This makes aspen trees some of the largest living organisms on Earth.
    Aspens and Snowy Cliff
  • The moose is the tallest mammal in North America. And the Alaska Range is the tallest on the continent. They both came together for this shot. According to the sign at the overlook a herd of bison also roam here in the summer.
    Moose and Mountain
  • I went snowshoeing a few miles on this snowmobile trail in the Bighorn Mountains since I had never explored it before. The South Tongue River could only be seen in a few places, it was mostly frozen.
    Snowing On Snow
  • At 7AM the last stars had faded out but there was still a deep blue color in the western sky. Darton Peak slowly began to emerge from behind the clouds.
    Snowy Morning Blues
  • For the Geminid meteor shower I snowshoed to the top of the continental divide in Western Montana. From the Granite Butte lookout tower, the views were stunning in every direction. The weather changed by the second alternating between snow showers, gale force winds, freezing fog with zero visibility, clear skies, and brief moments of calm. The tough whitebark pine trees which grow up here are all permanently bent. They point eastward from the prevailing westerly winds which almost never stop. The low temperatures, strong winds, and fog combined to create hard rime ice, which covered every surface (including me and my camera) with a coating up to 2 inches thick. To say that shooting conditions were challenging would be an understatement. My tripod had to be carefully propped up to avoid it blowing over. And with all my batteries dying too soon, I didn't get to take as many pictures as I wanted to. This was one of the brighter meteors which shone through the fog. The lights on the right are from the city of Helena.
    Through the Freezing Fog
  • The views at sunrise were stunning from the Granite Butte fire lookout on Montana's continental divide. All the whitebark pine trees were coated with thick rime ice and fog drifted around the valleys.
    Rime Before Dawn
  • The Rosette Nebula is a target I've been wanting to photograph for awhile. But my last few tries have been unsuccessful because of the wind. The bright red nebula is found in the constellation Monoceros. On the lower left is the Christmas Tree cluster surrounded by faint nebulosity. The blue nebula doesn't even have a name other than NGC 2247.
    A Nebula Named Rosette
  • A pair of bull moose trot past grazing bison in Yellowstone National Park. At up to 7 feet high, moose are the tallest mammals in North America, while bison are the largest. Bull moose typically lose their antlers in early winter, but you can see the stumps remaining between their eyes and ears. The flap of skin hanging from their necks is called a bell and it is not known for sure what purpose it serves. The Lamar Valley where this was taken is located in the remote northeast corner of Yellowstone, along the only road that's kept open in the winter. It has been called the Serengeti of North America because of the wide variety of large wildlife that inhabit the valley. Grizzlies, black bears, moose, bison, elk, wolves, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, coyotes, and red foxes can all be found here.
    Trotting Moose, Grazing Bison
  • There were about 8 bighorn sheep grazing on this hillside. When I walked up to take pictures I didn't even notice this ram to my left at first. He traversed a steep 45 degree slope and came within about 50 feet of me. He looked like he had been in plenty of fights with patches of fur missing on both sides and a broken left horn.
    Roughed Up
  • I could tell there was a colorful sunset on the way so I drove outside of Sheridan to photograph it. There was nobody else around on this empty dirt road between ranches.
    Super Sunset
  • The snow-covered cliffs of Ten Sleep Canyon glow in the evening sunlight.
    Leigh Creek Cliff
  • I spotted this icefall while driving through Ten Sleep Canyon. The north-facing side of the canyon does not see any sunlight all winter.
    Ten Sleep Icefall
  • Most of the ice at Piney Creek was covered by a layer of snow. But this portion of the creek was different, and the ice had a beautiful turquoise color. For some reason the water was flowing on top of the ice here, with slush in some areas. If I stood on the wet ice for very long my boots would freeze in place.
    Turquoise Ice
  • The temperature was somewhere around 10 to 15 degrees below zero when I went for a hike besides Piney Creek in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains near Story. There were all kinds of interesting ice formations along the edge of the creek. Delicate frost feathers had formed on top of the clear layers of ice and all the boulders were simply lumps of snow. The water flows fast enough that I didn't see any parts of the creek that were frozen over completely. Standing above snowy trees at the entrance to the canyon is this colorful stained cliff. It doesn't see any sunlight until late afternoon.
    Piney Creek Cliff
  • A group of trees grow against a wall in Kaskaskia Canyon.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: January 6, 2015
    Against the Wall
  • The moon wasn't even full on this night. But the clear arctic air along with the powdery snow made the moonlight extra bright.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: February 11, 2014
    White Shadows
  • These snow covered trees are found near the 8,000 foot summit of Ch-Paa-Qn Peak, Montana. This peak offers an amazing panoramic view of at least 5 different mountain ranges. As temperatures warmed up above freezing, chunks of snow were constantly falling off the branches.
    Windswept Summit
  • I thought my chances of seeing muskox in Kangerlussuaq were low, especially after seeing none on the ice sheet tour the week before. But I found a small herd of 7 grazing just east of Black Ridge.
    Muskox In the Willows
  • My 9-hour flight home was one of the most scenic I’ve ever been on. Taking off from Helsinki at sunset, we chased the sun westward. Meanwhile the full moon emerged to the east and followed the plane. In a state of perpetual twilight, the light remained the same for hours. The moon neither rose nor set and it felt like time was standing still. At the top of the world, just 250 miles from the North Pole, the scene was most striking. 7 miles below was Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s largest national park. The ice sheet emptied out into the Arctic Ocean between pristine snowy mountains. Moonlight shimmered across fresh sea ice, fractured by undersea currents. The moon was directly in the middle of what’s called the anti-twilight arch. The pink band above is the layer of atmosphere where the sun was still shining, reddened by the backscattering of sunlight. The blue band is Earth’s shadow projected out into the atmosphere. In mid-October the sun sets for good in this part of the high Arctic, not to rise again for more than 4 months.
    When Time Stood Still
  • I had a few hours to shoot the stars over the Tetons before clouds would move in.
    Night at Willow Flats
  • The sun was only out for a couple minutes at sunrise before going behind a cloud. I didn't want to get any closer than this because the snow looked unstable on top of the cliff.
    Sunstar Dawn
  • While skiing the Pole Creek cross country ski trail, I came across this meadow. A tree in the middle cast a long shadow across the snow as the sun came out.
    Casting Shadows
  • The snow was very deep on this part of the Abisko River near the top of the canyon in Swedish Lapland.
    Upper Abisko Canyon
  • The buildings of the Abisko Science Station looked especially photogenic with the mountains behind them in the late evening sunlight.
    Abisko Science Station
  • After taking the chairlift to the Aurora Sky Station in Swedish Lapland the aurora was unfortunately very weak. But it was a crystal clear night and the stars were still beautiful.
    Andromeda and Faint Aurora
  • After an auroral substorm, a corona formed at the zenith. A corona is a very fast moving type of aurora, where the rays appear to converge. But by the time I finished a time lapse and pointed my camera straight up, most of it was gone.
    At the Zenith
  • Even though the moon was bright, the aurora had no problem shining through. And the moonlight made for better pictures as it lit up the landscape.
    Above the Shaking Trees
  • Steamboat Point is a well-known mountain on the east side of the Bighorns, next to Highway 14. I've watched the sunset from the top more times than I can count. But this time I wanted to capture the boulders which sit below the cliff face. These boulders are massive. They're bigger than houses, more like the size of office buildings. I can only imagine what it would have looked and sounded like when they fall. The rock is a razor-sharp dolomite and the area is popular with rock climbers.
    Big Boulders
  • There’s perhaps no better way to practice social distancing and clear your head than to spend some time under the stars. The idea for this picture came months ago: to capture Orion setting over this jumble of giant boulders called the Fallen City. After doing the math and simulating the view, I determined exactly where to put my tripod and when to make it happen. But one problem is this is a very windy spot in the Bighorn Mountains. My attempt in February was foiled by the wind and I could not get any clear images. But March brought another chance with calmer weather. A fresh snowfall topped with rime ice made the forest glow in the starlight.<br />
<br />
The Orion Nebula is the brightest in Earth’s sky. It can be seen with the naked eye from dark skies and looks spectacular in a telescope. Also visible next to Orion’s Belt are the Flame Nebula and Horsehead Nebula. To get this picture first I took a series of images of the sky with my camera on a star-tracking mount. Once the nebula set, I turned the tracking off and took a longer exposure of the foreground.
    Orion and Fallen City
  • At the end of March Venus was at it’s greatest elongation. That is when the 2nd planet from the Sun is at it’s highest and brightest in Earth’s sky. Outshining every star and planet, it’s even bright enough to see during the day under the right conditions. Because Venus is an inferior planet orbiting inside Earth’s orbit, it never strays more than 47° from the Sun. When Venus is east of the Sun it is the Evening Star. But when it is west of the Sun it becomes the Morning Star. Counterintuitively Venus appears brightest during it’s crescent phase because that’s when it’s closer to Earth. The Moon was also a crescent on this evening. It’s always challenging to capture the Moon with the stars as they appear to the eye since it's so much brighter. But the passing clouds acted as a filter and helped to balance the exposure. Above the glowing cloud is the Pleiades, the most recognizable star cluster in the sky. A week later Venus would pass through the Pleiades, an occurrence that happens every 8 years.
    Filtered Moonlight
  • It was cloudy most of the day as I drove to the remote Diamond Butte in southeast Montana. But just before sunset, the sun emerged. The entire sky turned some shade of gold, orange, or pink. It was the best sunset I've seen for quite awhile.
    Cotton Candy Sunset
  • Because this morning's lunar eclipse occurred with the moon close to the horizon instead of high overhead, it was particularly well suited for photography. I just needed something to frame the moon over, and I couldn't think of a better subject than Devils Tower. I did the math and figured out I would need to be just under 2 miles east of the tower to shoot it with the lens I had. The surrounding area has lots of hills, trees, and private land, but luckily there was a road in the right spot, which provided this view. What was supposed to be only flurries the evening before turned into 4 inches of fresh snow. The clouds didn't clear out until minutes before the eclipse began. As the moon became redder, the sky became bluer and the stars slowly faded away. Snow doesn't stay very long on the tower since the sun heats up the rock quickly and winds blow it off. But everything came together perfectly this morning to create a one of a kind view.
    Totality at the Tower
  • The Pryor Mountains are not a very large or tall range. But they hold lots of wonders including several mysterious ice caves. At this elevation (8,600') any snow would have melted away months ago. But snow and ice stays beneath the ground year round. The Crater Ice Cave is one of the harder caves to reach because it requires an 1,800 foot climb to the highest peak, Big Pryor Mountain. The cave is located just below the summit and has a side entrance as well as a skylight entrance overhead.
    Subterranean Snow
  • After I thought the sunlight was gone on Devil's Tower, it came out once more for just a couple minutes.
    Devil's Tower Last Light
  • The view was amazing from the High Park lookout tower shortly before sunset. This is the view looking north. Meadowlark Lake can be seen on the left. Bighorn Peak and Loaf Mountain are the prominent peaks on the right.
    North of High Park
  • This is the view looking west from High Park lookout shortly before sunset.
    Behind the Pines
  • Abiathar Peak towers above the Lamar Valley in the northeast corner of Yellowstone, while 4 bison graze below.
    Abiathar and Bison
  • A bright red bush adds some color to the banks of the frozen Tongue River.
    A Splash of Red
  • Snow covers the granite summit of Black Mountain. The fire lookout can be seen perched at the top of the 9500 foot peak.
    Snowy Granite
  • The last sunrise of 2016 covers the Teton Mountains in a golden glow while strong winds gust around the peaks. This is a 100 megapixel panorama and is suitable for large prints.
    Last First Light
  • After the sun set over the Absaroka Mountains, Venus became brighter and the zodiacal light began to glow vividly all around it. The diffuse, diagonal glow is caused by the sun illuminating dust particles within the solar system.
    Venus Glow
  • Snow drifts blow across a treeless meadow in the Bighorn Mountains. In the distance is Medicine Mountain. The Medicine Wheel at the top was built by Native Americans thousands of years ago, and there is also an FAA radar used to track flights.
    Medicine Mountain Drifts
  • The light of sunrise illuminates one of the first snowfalls of the season in the Bighorn Mountains near Dayton. The switchbacks of Highway 14 can be seen in the valley.
    Fog and Switchbacks
  • Under a Wolf Moon
  • Pink colors linger in the east after sunset at Spring Lake, IL on a frigid winter evening.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: January 9, 2015
    Wind Chill Warning
  • Snow covers the sand dunes at Illinois Beach State Park shortly after sunset. The soft colors of the sky in the east was reflecting on the calm Lake Michigan.
    Snow on the Dunes
  • Even though visibility was poor and much of the ice was hidden under a fresh layer of snow, it was still pretty cool to visit the Greenland Ice Sheet. Covering 80% of the world's largest island, it is 2nd in size only to the Antarctic Ice Sheet. At a thickness of up to 1,600 meters, 8% of the world's freshwater is contained in the Greenland Ice Sheet.
    Greenland Ice Sheet
  • I went snowshoeing on the Nordic Trails near Antelope Butte, which I had never explored before. Just before sunset the light looked amazing across the snow.
    Don't Eat the Yellow Snow
  • Right after I arrived at the Diamond Butte Fire Lookout this stunning sunset filled the entire sky.
    Lookout Window Sunset
  • For the 2nd night in a row, there was an active display of the northern lights in Abisko, Sweden. Starting off as a dull glow in the north after sunset, it quickly exploded with bright green spiral swirls filling the entire sky. Here above the Arctic Circle the aurora is ever present, encircling the Earth's poles in a zone called the auroral oval. Even during solar minimum when solar activity is quiet, the northern lights are visible on almost any clear night. And Abisko sees more clear nights than surrounding areas because the mountains to the west create a rain shadow effect. Visible beyond the forest of short birch trees, is Torneträsk, Sweden's 6th largest, and 2nd deepest lake.
    Green Cyclone
  • In the far northwest corner of Finland is the tiny village of Kilpisjärvi. This is the only part of the country that touches the Scandinavian Mountains, and it's near Finland's highest point. The elevation and close proximity to the Arctic Ocean makes this the snowiest place in the country, and the snow here had a different quality than any other I've seen. It was so light and fluffy it could be blown off the windshield with my breath, and footprints in the deep snow pack left behind aqua-blue holes. I climbed halfway up one of the mountains, Saana, to obtain this view as the sun struggled to emerge. On the other side of the frozen lake is Sweden, with Norway to the right. This far above the Arctic Circle, trees can not grow above 600m. After this I tried climbing higher, but the route became icy, and visibility was nearing whiteout  so I was forced to turn back.
    View From Saana
  • On my last night in the Arctic I was treated to a colorful sunset with alpenglow on the mountain Vassitjåkka. I was glad I had to drive back to Riksgransen to return my skis, it was all cloudy in Abisko where I was staying. The roads here have an almost constant layer of ice on them in the winter. But driving isn't as hard as it looks since cars are required to have studded tires.
    Driving in the Arctic
  • At the end of October I had the the chance to spend a week in Alaska. I timed this trip with the arrival of a solar wind stream so the northern lights would be extra active. The sky only stayed clear for a couple hours on this night, but that was enough to see this bright ‘aurora rainbow.’ Only by shooting a panorama with my widest lens could I capture all of it. Most of the lakes and wetlands around Fairbanks had these bubbles in them. They are made of methane gas suspended in the ice. Just 30-40 cm underground is the permafrost, which normally stays frozen year round. But as the Arctic warms and the permafrost thaws, the decaying plant matter (also known as peat) releases methane into the atmosphere. During the summer this gas is invisible. But for a short time after the water freezes and before it gets covered with snow, these frozen bubbles are visible. Many area lakes have such a high concentration of methane that it’s actually possible to pop these bubbles and light them on fire.
    Rainbow of Aurora
  • On the last day of November I snowshoed a few miles up Red Grade Road as a storm cleared out, leaving behind a foot of fresh snow. This steep road is only accessible by foot or by snowmobile this time of year. In 2007 nearly 5,000 acres of Little Goose Canyon burned in a wildfire. 12 years later it's still easy to see exactly where the fire stopped. One of the best things about being out right after a fresh snowfall is the silence. A layer of light, fluffy snow on the ground acts as a sound absorber and dampens sound waves. But after snow melts and refreezes the opposite is true. Sound waves travel farther and are clearer when they bounce off of old and hard snow.
    Last Sunset of November
  • It wasn't a bad sunrise at Squaw Mountain right before I hiked back to my car.
    Squaw Mountain Sunrise
  • The evening light was really nice when I drove past these horses near Riverside, so I stopped to capture them.
    Three Chestnut Horses
  • After checking the sunset forecast, this seemed as good an evening as any to climb a peak that I've had my eye on for awhile. I knew there would be a great view of the Cloud Peak massif if I could make it to the top. There was no trail and the route up this forested mountainside was steep. But it was the first 60°F day of the year and enough snow had melted on the south-facing slope to make the going easier. The sun quickly disappeared once I reached the top and the light turned flat. When the sun is hidden on the opposite side of the mountains it can be hard to tell what kind of sunset it will be. Will there be any color or are the clouds too thick? But then a subtle glow slowly began to emerge to the west. It spread across the sky as the wind picked up and the temperature dropped. Minutes later the glow was gone, like it never happened.
    Short But Sweet Sunset
  • I went to Lake DeSmet at 3AM on a 5°F night with the hope of seeing the aurora. I didn't see it, but I saw this amazing scene instead. Fog was moving off of the lake when I arrived. It left behind a thick frost known as rime ice. The coating was about an inch thick over every single plant and tree branch, but only in this small area. With bright moonlight illuminating everything, it felt like I had stepped into another world.
    Moonlit Rime
  • It was a beautiful wintry night in the Bighorn Mountains. Most of the snow from the previous day had fallen off the trees after a sunny day. But since this part of the forest remained in the shade, it was still looking like a winter wonderland in the moonlight.
    Snowy Pine Moonlight
  • The views at sunrise were stunning from the Granite Butte fire lookout on Montana's continental divide. This is looking west where an atmospheric inversion trapped fog in the valleys.
    West of the Divide
  • Devils Tower glows in the early morning light in between tree branches after a fresh snowfall.
    Framed By Branches
  • The Belle Fourche River flows beneath Devils Tower after a fresh snowfall.
    Frozen Belle Fourche
  • Clouds swirl around Bighorn Peak before sunset as seen from the High Park lookout
    Bighorn Peak Panorama
  • The High Park fire lookout tower at almost 9,500 feet was the perfect place to watch the April full moon rising. It was a location I scouted out in advance on Google Earth, when I was looking for an ideal foreground to the east. The two peaks are Hesse Mountain on the left and Hazelton Pyramid on the right. If you look closely to the upper right of the moon the planet Jupiter can be seen. Winter is far from over here in the high country. The 3 feet of snow made it a challenge to find a route to the summit since I had never climbed this peak before. But it was much easier on the way down since I could simply follow my snowshoe tracks and the bright moonlight meant I didn't even need a headlamp.
    April Moonrise
  • It was a beautiful day to be in the Bighorn Mountains. Fresh snow had fallen the night before and the clouds cleared out before daybreak leaving sunny blue skies.
    Sun Melting Snow
  • It was a beautiful day to be in the Bighorn Mountains. Fresh snow had fallen the night before and the clouds cleared out before daybreak leaving sunny blue skies. This was the view from the Sand Turn Overlook.
    Bluebird Day
  • This bridge crosses a canyon over the Gardiner River. On the upper left steam can be seen rising from the Mammoth Hot Springs geothermal features.
    Bridge Over Gardiner River
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