Springtime Blizzard at Roan Mountain

Snow and very strong wind on Round Bald at Roan Mountain.

My original photoshoot for today with a model got rescheduled yesterday afternoon so I checked the weather last night and was surprised that snow was in the forecast for the Roan Highlands. I was thinking about heading up to Big Yellow Mountain since I've not been there in a while. I forgot to set my clock early enough so when I woke up on my own at 5:30 I realized I still had time to go to Roan Mountain instead. The drive up there was exacly what I expected, no snow until the last couple of miles from the top on the mountain and only a good covering about a mile from the top. The road was icy up there too. When I reached the Carvers Gap parking area the wind was blowing strong with gusts over 50 mph. It was a bit difficult crossing the road to the trail as the wind was causing me to slide (like ice skating) in the worong direction. Once I reached the icy trail I decided to walk alongside it in the snow for better traction. With my layered clothing and windbreaking jacket I was quite comfortable with the exception of windblown ice pellets stinging my eyes. The heavy fog that never lifted while I was there really limited my choice of compositions so I gravitated toward one of my default locations. I tried a couple of experimental images but they did not work out. Anyway I did get this one fairly good image and was glad to have another chance to play in the snow this season.

Done