What a difference a year (and...

What a difference a year (and a month) makes! My two different experiences at Blackrocks in SNP taken from almost the same angle; note the double-topped pine at the bend in the trail. The first trip was plagued with a freak snow storm (this is the beginnings of it here) which depositted well over a foot of snow and shut down Skyline Drive (and dampened my spirits for the planned thru-hike). My second visit was much better. Still, it dropped below freezing the night before in both cases and my boots froze solid. Yummy!