Frozen waterfall 20217/23/2023 Above, the falls tumbled from the promontory, cascading through a field of icicles glistening on the black and grey rock face. Reaching the overlook bridge, I entered a scene from Frozen, but without my princess who was far behind cautiously and safely descending those slick stairs. Tick-tock! The falls tumbled from the promontory, cascading through a field of icicles glistening on the black and grey canyon rock face. I passed another photographer, already on his way up having completed earlier-morning shots. An early slip on the ice-covered metal of the first flight made me more cautious as I quick stepped down the remaining 400+ steps to the mid-falls overlook. I raced for the descending stairs and started my downward trek. Our thermostats read 32F degrees, up 5F from our departure. Observing the parkwide 15 mph speed limit and gawking at the plentiful icicles lining the road, we finally reached the falls-top parking area at 10 am on what was now a bright and clear day. The temperature now read 32F, and trees were quickly shedding their ice coats in the warming sun. After renewing our Georgia State Parks senior pass, then a quick pit stop at the lodge for other necessities, we headed for the falls-top parking area. Among other necessities, it was time to renew our Georgia State Parks annual pass, a bargain at $50 for anyone and even better with the 50% discounts for seniors. But so were the sun and the temperatures, and this was going to be a race.Īs with all hikes by us mid-60ish folks, this one started in the visitor’s center for a quick break before heading up to the top of the falls. Spotting the frosted trees surrounding the falls canyon and extending up to the peak where Amicalola Falls Lodge overlooks the surrounding valley, my hopes were rising. My hopes were rising, but so were the sun and the temperatures. But further up the road, while navigating a sweeping turn, we spotted the frosted trees surrounding the falls canyon and extending up to the peak where Amicalola Falls Lodge overlooks the surrounding valley. Racing the SunĪpproaching Amicalola State Park on GA SR 136, we saw only minimal traces of snow remaining on some of the nearest high points, and I feared I had missed the photo opportunity. But the morning was promising a quick warm-up, thus this was going to be a race with the sunshine to capture my pictures. Temperatures had remained below freezing the prior day, and overnight the mercury was predicted to dip to the lower 20s. Thus, it wasn’t surprising to my wife when, on the coldest evening in 2021, I suggested a morning visit to Amicalola Falls. So it wasn’t a surprise to my wife when I suggested on the coldest evening of the year that we head out on a waterfall hike the next morning. With few days of below freezing weather in the winter of 2020-2021, my hopes of pictures from a frozen waterfall were waning. I intentionally put “enjoyed” in quotes, because while the Georgia weather was good for my waterfall photography purposes, the severe winter storm that brought it created misery, heartbreak, and hardship for many elsewhere in the country. Mother Nature hasn’t been cooperative in 2020-2021, offering few consecutive days of below freezing weather for even the slowest-flowing Georgia waterfalls to freeze.īut around President’s Day, when many in Cobb County and other parts of Georgia already had flocked south during school winter break, we finally “enjoyed” enough subfreezing hours to produce and sustain outdoor ice. Since spotting pictures online of frozen waterfalls, I’ve been waiting for a prolonged Georgia cold snap to explore our own winter waterfall wonderlands.
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