A bit of crust formed here and hardened enough that it survived as the snow around and even below it was carried off by the wind, leaving a fantastic and delicate shape.
I don't know if this is a proper sundog or not, but it looks like a bit of rainbow formed in the ice crystals at about the appropriate location for a sundog.
As I looked ahead, I could see some climbers who must have left an hour or two ahead of me making their way towards the Devil's Kitchen. Even down here I could smell the sulphur from time to time as it was carried down by a gust of wind.
Ice and snow, particularly glacier ice and rime ice, scatter light in such a way that they give off the most beautiful blue coloring. To see this color in person is reason enough to come up here.
As I passed 8,000 feet I made my way over towards the edge of the White River canyon to see the headwall area. Mountaineering 101--do not approach the edge of anything too closely, especially if you cannot determine whether what you are standing on is undercut or not. Sure enough, about 10 feet from the edge the mountain had put out a 'Do Not Cross' line. It would probably have held my weight, but why take a chance?
