On a cold February afternoon, I left the Moab elementary school, where I work as Art Coach and saw dark clouds billowing above the town. With camera gear and extra snow gear already in my truck, I drove up to I-Sky. Unfortunately, the Green River Overlook – my favorite – was closed. I later found out the NPS was searching for a missing person in the snowstorm!

The wind was drifting the snow everywhere. The roads were icy and covered in layers of snow. I drove partway to Grandview Point but decided to turn around. While making my 6-point turn on the narrow road, I was momentarily stuck. While shifting into 4WD low range and looking behind me, this tree appeared in the corner of my eye. Whoa! I finished my turnaround, got out of the vehicle and took a closer look.

It was gear time! I am pretty sure the temperature was about 0 degrees without the wind chill factor, but I was still willing to work the image despite my hands starting to curl with the cold.

I absolutely loved the curve of this lone juniper. As I was composing the picture, a little break in the storm allowed a warm light into this freezing and darkening scene.

A couple of exposures later, and it was back to my 'running-with-heater-on' truck. A few days and a little processing later – and this is my Beautiful Gnarly Tree!

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