Panoramic view from Blue Mtn - sunrise and snow

	I had just purchased my new Roundshot Super 35 panoramic camera in March of 1998 and was anxious to try it out. The weather maps at 3:30 AM showed mid level lake effect snow clouds moving in across the Adirondack region. My hope was that they would almost cover the sky by the time the sun rose. I snowshoed up to the summit through about a foot of snow. It was a real winter wonderland at the summit with all the trees covered with rhime frost and an abundance of fresh snow. It was still about 15 minutes before sunrise as I headed over to the opening in the trees just north of the fire tower. I remember feeling like I was fumbling around a lot with the new camera as I was trying to set up the camera for the first time in zero temperatures. I had practiced with it inside a bit, but this was the real thing... The sun was highlighting almost all of the clouds with varying shades of pink and red as I was trying to load film and make sure all the numbers on the computer and lens were set as they should be. The sun rose and was creating a light shaft that appeared to extend way down into the valley. I missed a lot of good lighting on the clouds while learning how to set up the equipment, but managed to capture this image just before the sun went behind the clouds completely.