SNAPSHOT

While hiking across the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness in October, Helena photographer

JESSE LEE VARNADO

came across a hidden cave entrance. “I check out every cave I see because I like to explore,” he says. “You never know what you’ll find. I’ve seen cougars, black bears, and one time even a mountain goat.” What he discovered this time was a cave floor covered in ice stalagmites, some up to 3 feet tall. “It was really cold outside, so there was ice on the cave ceiling, and I think warmer air in the cave was rising up and causing the ice to melt and then drip and form the stalagmites,” Varnado says. Transfixed by the spectacle, he spent the next two hours photographing the rare formations. “I think I took about 800 shots,” he says. “I’d never seen anything like that and tried all kinds of angles. This is one of my favorites.” ■