Alaska does it bigger

[IPT]

Well, I've never even seen Hoar Frost in the Lower 48, but the Hoar Frost up here is unreal. The first time I saw it up here I finally realized where the total white Christmas tree idea came from. Anyway, big is relative. This stuff is maybe a half an inch tall, or less. However, it packs a big punch. From a distance it envelopes things into total whiteness. As you get closer the individual crystals reveal themselves. On my deck railing it looked like a delicate forest. Then bust out the Macro lens and it is another world unto itself!!

 

[edandsandy]

These pictures are simply amazing!
I love the last one....
We live in FL. And we will never see anything like that.

 

[Recty]

Pretty cool, Louis. The trees are frosted up really nicely this morning, I see, I almost took some pictures but had to skedaddle to work

 

[thepenalty]

Fantastic pictures!

 

[nuccadoc]

Man that is very cool!

 

[blaten]

Those icicles are so intricate. What made the ones that look like little trees?

 

[IPT]

swamped today at work...more later....

Grant - looked for you at the Frosty Bottom this weekend... didn't see you. Maybe next year ?

 

[IPT]

Grant - looks even foggier this AM with an even thicker coating, huh?

Thanks everyone for the compliments, I'm glad that you like them. Half the fun of taking these pictures is sharing them with people!

Blatan - actually icicles are formed when water is rolling, or dripping down something and it freezes. As each drop rolls down and freezes at the tip they get bigger and bigger. Hoar frost is actually moisture from the air that freezes on contact with a colder structure it touches. Then as the crystals form they "grow" up and outward. I took some pictures like this last year and was suprised when I saw what the structure really was. In fact, I was looking last night on line at images of snowflakes. I was amazed at how many totally different shapes they can take on. It's wild stuff!

 

[IPT]

Man, it's killing me being stuck in the office today! Ran outside with the P&S real quick to grab a few shots and take the edge off the withdrawal symptoms I was having.... . It is SO beautiful outside it is quite hard to describe!

Raven in a frosted tree

Encased

 

[chefb_5]

those are amazing dude wow talk about a breth of fresh air!

 

[Brett9917]

Beautiful pictures Louis!!

What's the barbed wire fence? Creatures or people?

 

[Recty]

That barbed wire fence kind of ruins the spirit of the shot, imo

It really is pretty here right now, I havent taken any pictures but I really need to. I work all day and then at night get home and play with my kid some, by the time I get a chance to do photography it is dark again.

 

[IPT]

Ha ha, yeah, I was too lazy to crop the Barbed wire out. Give a guy a break, I'm at work, ugh . LOL, that is a troubled youth school/facility down the road from the office. The fence and Barbed wire is covered in frost so I figured I'd leave it in. It helps illustrate the jagged sharp nature of the frost (yeah, that's it....).

Breath of fresh air it is. We're at about 10F right now. Suppossed to drop to sub zero this weekend. Scenary like this makes me not even notice the cold though. It's like living in a snow globe, it's amazing.

Ah, little bugger finally got in a good spot! Dang it, wish I had my "real" camera gear with me!!

 

[M_55G]

WOW these pics made realize how much i need to step my pic game up. Great job

 

[blaten]

That is just amazing, thanks for the info and the great pictures.

 

[fatrip]

I have found some places in the woods where water has froze upward like the frost in your picture. Probably was frost but it never is that thin and small looking. Is it quite small or larger, your picture make it look small. Everything around here I have found has been a few inches in width. I will have to try and find some tomorrow morning and get a picture of it.

 

[IPT]

That is just amazing, thanks for the info and the great pictures.

Glad you liked 'em. Fun to share.

FATRIP - funny enough last night I was up at the mailbox and there were some HUGE frost crystals. They were more like plates! I haven't seen them that large before. I'm going to try and get some more images this weekend, but I would like to see yours too so post 'em up!

 

[fatrip]

I will try but there is snow on the ground so I'm not sure that I'll be able to find any. Usually I see them when I'm out hunting and there isn't snow on the ground yet. I think I might be able to find some in the pines, snow doesn't really get in there.