Needle Ice and other Cold Weather Treats

Needle Ice

Jasper and I walked out the door in 16F weather today. It was lovely. . .clear and bright and still (wind definitely makes it less attractive), but I still should have had another layer on my lower regions.

We have lived in many cold climes, but never before seen Needle Ice. It takes various forms, but the one pictured to the left is the most common in our area. They poke right out of the soil on the trail. Really phenomenal looking. Some look like little plants, with sort-of-leaf-structures on them.

Needles with "leaves"

 

I read an article in the Press this morning by a woman who has written a good bit about her nostalgic love of Maine, but says that she no longer likes the long winters, so she lives in Connecticut. This is an interesting perspective, isn't it? How much shorter are the winters in Connecticut?

One of the first things that surprised me about Maine, at least this part of Maine, is that it doesn't literally have longer winters than, say, Boise Idaho. The first and last frost-free dates are the same: May 15 and October 15. 

It is probably, on average, colder. And daylight hours are definitely shorter. Sunset is 4:30pm, and it starts getting dark, even on these bright sunny days, at about 4:00pm. Eating by candlelight has always been our habit, but it seems essential now. Light that dark. Please. We have a lovely well-insulated house that we can enjoy. But I can't help but think of those who do not have a warm place in which to shelter.

Ice formation along the creek

Back to the hike, though. Ice is forming on the edges of the rushing stream water, but the wider stiller Messalonskee stream is still clear. I didn't sit on my favorite sitting rock today, because of that extra layer that I failed to don this morning. The rock probably isn't 16F, but it's also probably not a lot warmer!

The Messalonskee Stream

I was vaguely worried about Jasper's toes getting too cold, but every time I felt them they were fine. Cool, not cold, though he did not seem to want to linger. And we are hunkering down for extended cold. If we get as much ice as we had last winter, the Messalonskee trail will be too icy to hike. Even with crampons. So we're enjoying it while we can. 

I'll close with a short video. Ice on Stream. It reminds me of a series of pieces I made one Valentine's day. . .The Cold Heart Series. Photographs of ice crystals etched onto silver, and made into jewelry for the more cynical Valentine's Day celebrator! So I guess I'll close with some images of those. Funny, the things one forgets.

Cold Heart Earrings

Cold Heart Pendant

 

 

 

 

 

 

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French Mountain

 

It was such a treat to take Jasper to French Mountain yesterday. I haven't been able to hike for a few days now due to a pulled muscle in my leg. [I'm starting to call these random health failures Phantom Menaces.]

Anyway. After reading too much on WebMD (is it possible this is really a slipped disk???), I'm good to go again, though a little less confident regarding my formerly robust ability to walk.

French Mountain is about 20 minutes from us. It's a little too far for an everyday hike, but perfect for Sundays. It's also treacherous once ice season starts. . . you can see that there is a lot of rock surface to slip on, and even crampons don't quite do the trick. 

But now? It's lovely. We've had a lot of rain, so Wellies were required. Wellies and umbrellas make sooo many hikes possible. The fact that humans invented Wellies, umbrellas and bicycles make me feel proud to be human. Not everything does. . .

The views here are lovely. The lake looks small in the photo, but it's actually the northern end of Long Pond, which is a good sized lake.

My only complaint about the French Mountain hike is that it ends a little too soon.

Jasper concurs.