...and Ice

This was from my morning commute to Hunterdon County in NJ (12-15-2005). Along the Delaware River, when conditions are right, there is a great fog bank that forms in the river valley. When conditions are even more ripe (below-freezing air temperatures), the fog can turn into a "frozen fog" (technically, its rime ice - and Mount Washington NH gets a LOT of it). I liken this to almost a Lake-Effect snow, in the sense that the river is warmer than the air temperature. Although it doesn't dump snow (don't be fooled, it had snowed for real earlier in the week), the fog DOES put out snowflakes, which ionize to the trees (note the picture), and sometimes coat the roads. This frozen fog can form in pockets along the Delaware River, giving you no warning of the danger (and beauty) that lies ahead. On this day, along my 4-mile river jaunt, I saw 2 distinctly separate frozen fog banks. (more: here, here, and here)


Appalachian Trail, Shenandoah NP, March 27, 2006. Lisa and I were traveling (by car) to Atlanta for Bobby's wedding, and we decided to take a side trip along Skyline Drive. With the elevation brought some major weather changes. It appears that some parts of the park had received a dusting of snow the night before our visit. I was able to hike on the AT for a few miles, with most sections looking as serene as this.