Icicle Hunting in the Missouri Ozarks with @jasonrussell
Yesterday began like any typical Sunday for me. I woke up and made breakfast with the girls and sat down to have my coffee while I browsed the news and my Facebook feed. I found myself becoming increasingly bummed out due to all of the negativity that I was seeing, so I decided right then and there that I wanted to go to a place where I could clear my mind and wouldn't have access to social media at all.
It was the perfect fix for my winter blues and I got to spend some much needed time with Jason in the beauty and peace of the great outdoors. We went several places, but first stop was a place called Bear Cave, where we've spotted some monstrous icicles in the past and we were hoping to see them this time too!
We started at the trail head off of the dirt road, and then hiked down the steep cliff side. I initially wanted to take our daughters along, but in retrospect, I'm glad that they stayed safe and warm at their grandparents house. The snow made it much riskier.
I thought I got some photos on the trail, but apparently I just got this short video on my phone. It's much steeper than it looks!
Although it's a steep hike, fortunately, it's a pretty short one and we had made it to the bottom of the bluff in probably less than 20 minutes. The icicles weren't nearly as big as we've seen before, but there were definitely some worth seeing this year!
I was using a 50mm lens on my camera, which i don't think is quite ideal for nature/landscape shots, but I was still happy with a few of these in the end :) Jason was shooting with a wider angle lens, so his photos look completely different than mine!
I figured I would take a short phone video to provide a little better perspective.
And now, let's take a moment to appreciate the most handsome little Yorkie ever...Bash!!! <3
It was so cute watching him run and jump around in the snow...And he never stays far away from his best buddy, Jason ;)
"Bear Cave"
If you've seen any of my other posts about our local caves, you might have noticed I've mentioned that a lot of the caves are barred up to protect the bat population from human contact. We've been in the cave before the barricade was built, and it has some absolutely stunning formations. However, even when we visit the "open" caves, we are still respectful of nature and the laws made to protect it.
Ok, ok just one more picture of Bash
A little splash of color in the snow
Ok, I lied ;) This is the last picture of our little buddy running up the hill
We had originally intended to only visit Bear Cave yesterday, but we were enjoying the outdoor time so much that we decided to go to a few more places before sunset. I'll save those for another post since this one is already overloaded with photos! Thanks for checking it out and stay tuned for more of our Sunday winter adventure!
The good selection of the header image and closing image.
Header image has unique details and textures, creating beauty that has character.
The closing image, it looks really true the journey that lives with the object that you photograph
Thank you! It’s been a long time since I’ve had the time or energy to make a detailed post, so I appreciate the kind words :)
Wow pretty awesome hike you showed us here! So many icicles and you're telling that they aren't as big as they are used to be😅
PS. You might want to add it to the worldmap or use the #travelfeed tag. Or you might want to keep the area just unspoiled that is an option too of course ;)
Totally forgot to use the travelfeed tag, so thanks for the reminder! I haven’t read much about how the worldmap works, so I’ll have to check into it.
And yes, one year we saw icicles that reached from the top of the cliff to the bottom and it was incredible! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!!! :)
No thanks at all, I enjoyed it. Looking forward to more of these beautiful places!
And good to read you did already know about the #travelfeed tag. Did you do some research already on the @steemitworldmap?
I had to dig back to find your comment because I wanted to tell you that I finally figured out how to pin a location on the @steemitworldmap! Thanks for letting me know about it!
Those icecles are impressive, but Bash stole the show.
WHat a beauty. That look, half impressed, half scared. Great pictures.
Thank you! Bash is our other “baby” so we think he’s pretty great ;)
That looks like a really good hike!
Soooo cold, but so worth it!!!
I couldn't think of a better way to cure cabin fever than to get amongst all those wondrous winter delights @melodyrussell And by all accounts, Bash appears to be having a ball. Those caves must be amazing to see. I really enjoyed seeing all those frozen water features. They cooled me down for a few seconds until I looked around and felt the humidity of a scorching summer attempt to smother me again.
Thanks for the momentary relief. 😊
I’m so ready for spring and summertime! But I suppose wintertime makes me appreciate the warmer months so much more!
I do understand who winter must seem to drag on when you are living through relentless, cold conditions. It is the opposite for me here in extremely hot Brisbane.
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great winter nature landscape and that is a good way to hunt! thanks for sharing
Thanks for checking it out! It’s beautiful around here, even during the winter time :)
It's always great to experience winter. I love your scenes and videos in there. I can't wait to read more great post from you
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Thank you! I’ve learned to appreciate winter a lot more in my older age :) I will be posting more photos soon!
Yea... The joy in your expression says it all
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Those icicle shots are fabulous! The newly fallen snow is soft and oh-so-delicate looking!
Just a winter wonderland! Nicely done!
!tip
Thanks @dswigle! :) It was nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air and scenery after being cooped up for so long!
Thank Goodness next week will be better! :)