One of the most magical moments of the year for me occurred during the capturing of this image. Wondering through the canyons of the east side of Zion, I came across an ephemeral stream which was still ice covered from the cold temperatures the night before. Ice was suspended about 3-6 inches above an otherwise dry stream along its length for about 100 feet. It was an icy wonderland! Like a kid with a new toy to explore, I excitedly photographed amazing ice formations and designs for about 10 minutes, when I heard loud ‘cracking’ noises upstream of me. I didn’t think much of it at the time, and took my time photographing more of this winter wonderland. As I progressed upstream further, I was made aware of what was producing the noise – meltwater from higher upstream had worked its way down to near my position, and water was now aggressively flowing through the streambed, filling it and quickly over-running the beautiful ice sculptures! Before my eyes, the once delicate and icy blue matrix was transforming into a warm watery stream once again. I raced to capture a few of the more spectacular formations before they disappeared before my eyes…a few moments later – amazingly – it was all gone.
This experience made me feel very special – that I was able to be at that particular location, at that moment, when such a grand transformation took place. That I was able to see and witness something which perhaps no one else on earth had seen…I was humbled. Though I took over 20 photographs of the ice during this adventure, this one was my favorite. The simple balance between the rock and icy patterns perfectly compliment and contrast each other in hue and texture, and bring me back to the realization of just how fleeting many moments of life can be…