Ice-Clarity in Zion Snowstorm

Icicles hang at Emerald Pools during winter in Zion

Two weeks ago a heavy snow was forecast for southern Utah.  I trekked over to Zion where several roads were closed but I could drive up to Emerald Pools parking lot.  A walk up the snow-covered trail led me to this magical spot.  Too cold for flowing water, the dripping springs had turned to icicles.  They hung 80 feet above my head and a few of these cold daggers broke off and fell onto the trail while I was there. 

To spotlight these really cool (pun intended) features, I followed the trail all the way around until I got a view behind the ice looking back onto the grotto.  I wanted to show these clear cold wonders in detail and context. 

Technical aspects of this shot:  this is a focus blended shot.  I took photos focused on three different icicles (far left, middle and right) to get these all sharp.  I took a photo focused on the canyon wall in the background.  These were then blended with masking in photoshop to have a photo that is ice-clear from front to back.