When I heard that my friend Amy would be leading a winter photography trip to Yellowstone National Park, I jumped at the chance to go. I longed to see the park buried under deep cover of snow and I knew that sharing a trip like this with other photographers who were interested in simply seeing would be a wonderful way to experience the park. We bundled up in our warmest layers, filled our thermoses with hot tea and settled in to the comfort of Mindy’s snow coach.

Over 4 days, we roamed the park on huge tires in a van that looked like it could compete in a Monster Truck Rally. We kept our eyes open looking for wildlife, interesting views, reflections, and anything else that caught our attention. Our group was happy stopping at just about any sight - no matter how many times we’d already been there.

We visited the iconic Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone to see it’s frozen waters. The canyon felt smaller under the thick cover of snow, ice hanging heavy in the falls.

We chased light and shadows, looking for interesting ways to photograph the Bobby Socks Trees. These trees perished after the area flooded and the trees soaked up silica rich water that sucked out their water content. A nearby grouping of trees was left to thrive and flourish, beautifully coated in winter's heavy white coat. There was something so striking about these groupings of trees and the juxtaposition of life versus death. Nature's destruction seems so random.

One of the highlights of the trip was our time spent watching an adorable Pine Marten. This critter had made his home in a dumpster and would scurry around the area to the delight of all in the park. We stood next to a few handfuls of other photographers, trying to keep quiet but also buzzing with anticipation waiting for him to emerge.

Yellowstone has more than a few famous trees. Named for photographer Tom Murphy, the Tom Murphy tree is said to be the most photographed tree in the park. We stopped many times to photograph the this trees and the surrounding hillside. I loved the clean snow surrounding the tree, leaving it sitting in quiet solitude.

On the coldest morning we were photographing ducks in the pre-dawn light along the banks of the river when I looked over my shoulder and saw the sky coloring a beautiful pink. I set off running in my snow boots, determined to make it to this view of National Park Mountain with the pale pink sky in the background. My favorite moment was just as the sun kissed the mountain top. The entire scene seemed to sum up the beauty of spending winter in a national park.

Whether we were sitting quietly observing wildlife, to excitedly photographing trees, our group enjoyed every moment of this winter trip to Yellowstone. It was so much fun that I’m hoping to make it again next year.

It’s taken me over a year to share just a snippet of my winter trip to Yellowstone. Each time I open a folder of photographs, I fall in love with a different one. When that happens, you know that you had an incredible experience.

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