The Hunt for Blue Ice

In 2015, Mr. Morris and I found an amazing place where spring seeped water out between rocks in a deep dry run.
In the summer this area stays shadowed because of its position and the heavy forest canopy.

In the winter the trees are bare and the winter sun barely breaks over the edge of the ridge. The water seeps and freezes, seeps and freezes. 

I used to think that certain minerals caused the ice to look a certain color. I may be a little right when water seeps over red clay and gives the ice a reddish orange color. But blue ice has a different explanation. It has to do with the the light refraction and what part of the light spectrum is absorbed and which color is reflected.

All that aside. 

In 2015, the ice looked blue.

I wanted to take Charlie to the East end of the valley and see if the ice was forming with the sudden freeze we'd had.

The land I hike on is nearly one square mile of uninhabited land with two valleys and two streams. It has been referred to as one of the more remote pieces of land in the county. And this is my neighbor's family owned land. 
Charlie and I got no more than halfway down the valley when someone in the far distance started shooting. It was far off, but it echoed down the valley. It sounded as like an assault rifle.

Poor Charlie became a Pekenhund Puddle of nerves. Or if you like a PekenPuddle. Anytime I knelt down to peer at something interesting or try to photograph it, Charlie pawed his way into my lap, my leg, or tried to get on my back if I was low enough.
Poor thing. I picked him up and carefully continued down the valley carrying him over icy rocks and negotiating stream crossings.

The Big Spring

When we got to the Big Spring, Charlie could barely be consoled. I had to photograph this while sitting on a root with my feet planted in the spring water and Charlie in my lap. 

This spot is always interesting. This huge spring bubbles up at the base of this steep hill. In cold snaps anything sticking out of the spring is covered in beautiful frost.

The gunfire stopped and we headed around the bend towards the steep dry run.

And it was a beautiful sight.
Charlie and I made our way up the dry run to the tiny spring.

Here is what happens when Charlie 'helps'. I was trying to photograph the tiny spring seeping out of the rocks...

You guessed it, whoever got the assault rifle had reloaded and was popping off again in the far distance. That was too close for Charlie.

We were done. We found the Blue [ish] Ice and visited the Big Spring. The little dog was ready to go home and dive into his blankets on the couch for a long nap.

...and I felt good deep inside.

Nature always seems to do that for me.