Poconip: A photo essay in the ice fog

January 8th, 2013 by Arya, Communications DirectorcloseAuthor: Arya, Communications Director Name: Arya Degenhardt
Title: Communications Director
About: Arya oversees the Committee's communications program, which includes the Mono Lake Newsletter. She loves her job because she gets to share the inspiring work of the Mono Lake Committee with members and visitors alike. When she's not in the office you might find her running with her dogs Dublin and Poco, volunteering with the Lee Vining Fire Department, listening to any music with a banjo in it, or willing the plants in her garden to grow. Her favorite things to do in the Mono Basin include ice skating on nearby lakes, skiing the Mono Craters, and getting to smell the sagebrush when it rains.See All Posts by Arya (91)
Contact Arya

If you haven’t experienced poconip, or ice fog, at Mono Lake, I recommend it. It usually happens when it’s sunny in most other parts of the Eastern Sierra, and the ground is frozen or snow-covered.

Rime ice in the Lee Vining Creek riparian area.

The fog can be quite thick, and it is very chilly inside the fog layer—keeping temperatures below freezing all day. The poconip creates rime ice on just about any surface, giving a very unusual look to the Mono Basin. We’re in the thick of it so I thought it would be fun to take you on a short photographic tour.

Rime ice, Jeffrey pine needles.

Sometimes the rime can be very heavy, as seen here on this pinyon pine.

Jeffrey pine in rime.

A raven through the fog.

Lee Vining Creek.

Looking east on Highway 120 below Tioga Pass.

Jeffrey pine with fog lifting.

Icicle with rime ice.

Iced cobweb. Photos by Arya Degenhardt.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 8th, 2013 at 4:30 pm and is filed under Photos, Recent Photos, Staff Musings, Winter. You can view 11 Responses on this post or leave your own response if you log in.

11 Responses to “Poconip: A photo essay in the ice fog”

1. Janis Portal Says:
   January 9th, 2013 at 6:04 am

   Very beautiful! Never have seen anything like this.

2. Adrian Pols Says:
   January 9th, 2013 at 8:31 am

   Nice series of shots. It would be an interesting counterpoint to show a same time view from the Conway Summit overlook. Another aspect of the fog is the limit it places on night time temps. Over the hump in Bridgeport it can drop to 30+ below zero on a night when Lee Vining bottoms out at 15. The only difference is the non freezing lake’s moisture.

3. steff zurek Says:
   January 9th, 2013 at 11:41 am

   Wow! Arya, thank you for the photo essay. Wish I was out there to see the sagebrush covered in rime ice. Thanks again for heading out into the cold icy world with your camera and capturing the beauty of it all, letting frustrated city slickers such as myself live vicariously. The icy cobweb is just incredible!

4. Arya, Communications Director Says:
   January 9th, 2013 at 2:00 pm

   Thanks for the nice comments everyone! Today’s update: the sun has broken through! When the fog returns I’ll be sure to get out to Conway Summit and into the sagebrush ocean to get some more shots for you.

5. Pam LoPinto Says:
   January 10th, 2013 at 7:01 am

   The cobweb is amazing!

6. David Carle Says:
   January 11th, 2013 at 9:30 am

   Love that icicle detail! I’ve always been curious about why the MLC writing, all the way back, spells the Paiute word “poconip,” while the National Weather Service and everyone else, far as I know, spells it with a g, “pogonip.” Of course it is an English attempt at the sound of a Paiute word.

7. Stephen Ingram Says:
   January 13th, 2013 at 10:57 am

   Great photo essay, Arya- thanks! I spent part of 2 days up there last week taking photos-I love it! Glad you got some sun though.

8. Heidi Hopkins Says:
   January 15th, 2013 at 9:03 am

   Lovely, Arya! Thank you.
   Heidi

9. Jessenia Says:
   January 15th, 2013 at 9:53 am

   Wow!

10. Arya Degenhardt Says:
    January 15th, 2013 at 1:57 pm

    Dave — I’ve wondered about that … and I’ve always liked that it makes it feel like Mono’s own thing.
    Stephen — I can’t wait to see your images!
    Heidi — thank you!
    Jessina — thank you too!
    Arya

11. Dave Says:
    January 18th, 2013 at 12:12 pm

    Gotta love the poconip!! Beautiful!