Back to the Ice Flow

Morris convinced me that it was a good day for a hike.  As long as I took him, that is.

He sort of promised not to eat really icky things.  
So I loaded up my camera back pack and we set out for the ice flow on the east side of the valley.

I put ice cleats on my boots and was happy that I did. The extra traction assisted with going up and down hills and in the areas where the snow was soft.

It was even more important to have these cleats for when we got to the ice flow.
I had decided to walk up the ravine on the ice.
Well, I was able to in a few spots, but the going was slippery even with the cleats.

A few times Morris stopped ahead of me.  Or attempted to stop.
His feet slipped even when he was standing still.

However he seemed perfectly content to be my camera assistant.

When things got too slippery for his taste, he simply climbed the side of the ravine and watched me from above.

I'm sure he thought I was an idiot.

If that dog did not have on that red collar ... I wonder if I could have found him?

However, it was worth the walk and the hike.  Thank goodness for the cleats.

The spring in the upper part of the ravine was still producing water.  The spring is in an area that sun can get to while the rest of the ravine is in the deep shade.

So water keeps running over the formed ice and building. It looks as though waves of water were instantly frozen in this shot.

And yes the colors were blue, green, and brown in the ice.  I imagine from the minerals in the soil and rocks.

Lastly, a shot of the Adventure Dog/Assistant standing in the middle of the ice flow.

My next goal is to get to the 'ice cave' not at Wildcat Mountain, but here ... in the back valley.

And Morris kept his promise.  He didn't eat anything ICKY, but he did roll in something really nasty and got an immediate bath when he got home.

I know I wrote before about Morris going on a long hike with me and then it seemed he felt bad or perhaps stiff the next day.

He suffered no ill effects whatever after this hike.  I'm pretty sure that the warm temperatures probably had a lot to do with it.

It was 40 degrees when we took this walk.