2013, Day 339 - Frosty falls

Panther Creek is a favorite location in part because it is easy to get to the creek and in part because it is beautiful.  Notice I said it is easy to get the the creek?  That's because it takes a bit of climbing to get to the falls and it isn't too bad when the weather is nice but it is a bit more challenging when it is covered in ice and snow.  The descent wasn't too bad but the ascent was particularly difficult because many of the best or easiest hand and foot holds were icy but with a little patience and creativity it wasn't too bad.  The other tricky thing was all the ice surrounding the lower part of the falls thanks to the spray from the falling water.  I was limited to the flat areas because even though they were icy I wasn't going to slide into the frigid water.  Still, it was worth it and I was very careful so there was little chance of falling.  Although it was snowing it wasn't heavy enough to make it through the dense trees down to the falls in most places and I suspect if it was then I wouldn't have been able to get access safely without more equipment.

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f8, merged layers of 1, 2, 4, and 8 sec @ 100 ISO