The World of Ice

 By now you know that I like winter. I like ice. I like being out in all weather except HOT & Humid. Winter often looks quite dull but with my curious mind I am always looking for something interesting.

I had to go get the Trail Cam SD cards so I made a longish hike out of it.

The first shot is a cell shot of a section of our creek that is freezing on top, trickling through below the ice. The wet looking spots is where the water is seeping to the surface to freeze.

Neat things happen in the ice as it forms around branches, leaves, and rocks. It looks like wild art.

Here some water seeps up and cuts across the ice making another strange looking formation. By this Saturday it should freeze hard again. We are due to be below zero without wind chill factor. 

Other curious and strange iced formations. No explanation, just fun shapes.

Then I always go to the Ice Wall. It looks totally solid but it isn't.

This is a rock wall that has moisture dripping from it all of the time. The water rolls out onto the ice and trickles down which keeps the wall growing.

In the summer, the wall is covered with Maiden Hair Ferns.

I am so fascinated by the sculpture the ice makes.

Further down the creek the water flows a bit faster due to the tiny warm springs along the way. These little creeks are the life blood of the valley. The animals come here to get their drinks of water. In some places there are worn paths to the open water.

I can't help myself when I see the frost on the moss and rocks in the creek. I have to grab a photo of it.

The ice bubbles I found the other day are gone. That section is now frozen solid and has a skiff of snow on top of it. The ice is frozen thick enough for coyotes to walk on it.

This weekend we are going in for another Artic Blast. So yesterday I took advantage of the milder weather and went wandering in different a patch of woods and found many surprises.

Charlie and I found some astounding sights. 

I'll share that later. Today I have to get things set up for another Deep Freeze.

Last of the Ice?

What do you see? 

I had no idea what I was looking for other than fresh cold air and getting out of the cold wind on Saturday. I didn't take Charlie with me. The snow had a hard sharp crust on it in areas of the valley and I was going to walk near two coyote dens.

I followed the creek east and just spent time enjoying the tiny ice formations that I wouldn't see again until next winter.

I spotted several places were there were trout darting back and forth under the ice. They are hard to see but yes, they were there. The trout are pretty cool, they are so sensitive to any movement so in order to watch them you have to remain absolutely still.

I eventually found myself at the far eastern edge of the valley. The one with the long ravine and tiny spring in it.

I was happy that I'd put my YakTraks on!

There is no way to travel up this ravine other than climbing the ice or the boulders.

I turned and went back to the creek to follow it home.

Cool Bubbles

Is there a face in this ice?

Layered ice near the deer trail I use to climb out of the creek.

It is supposed to get into the higher 40's today with warmer temperatures all week. So this may have been my last Ice Adventure in our creek this winter. After all Spring Solstice is but 7 days away.

Those huge ice formations will hang on for a while yet, but these little beauties will disappear. 
Sad Face.

Hmmm. The ice will melt, the birds will start migrating and landing in the open water, and I could go back to KVR and enjoy some birding time!
It all balances out!

Ice is cool

In our creek bottom there is a sandstone wall on a north wall that seeps water all year. If you didn't ever go into this are in the winter, you wouldn't know it was there. I'll never forget discovering it for the first time. 

I think it was the year I discovered snow shoeing. In the forest around us there are no groomed trails other than perhaps one you make yourself or one the deer and other critters have made.

I got pretty good at jumping the creek and climbing over downed trees with snowshoes on.

Here is the ice wall on the 3rd of January.

Depending on the winter temperatures, this wall will grow and melt and grow again. The sun never shines on this area and it is always cool even on hot summer days. There are cracks in the rock and sandstone that seem to breathe out cold air.

I find that pattern and the texture of the ice so incredible. It differs at different times of the winter. The ice generally looks a bit more yellow because of the particles of sand it picks up.

The water in the creek below it flows slowly still with frost on the rocks and surrounding grasses.

It takes a consistently very cold winter to freeze over the top of the creek, but the water still flows underneath the ice. This spot freezes often and thaws on warm sunny days.

Part of our daily routine is to take a walk to the creek and to the wall past the X spot where we stop and watch trout for a bit.

In the winter everything changes nearly daily. New tracks, the ice formations change, the creek freezes and thaws in different ways which is always fascinating.

Where the creek has a small springs, the water is so much warmer than the air that moisture collects on the grasses and makes the most incredible frost formations.

Below is one tiny spring the flows gently into the creek. The formations of ice and frost constantly change here. It is also a hot spot for the deer and carnivores to gather for a drink.

I guess I am just a sucker for the strange beauty of winter in this area. More and more I am realizing just how lucky I have been to live here.