Ice Castles

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." - Henry David Thoreau.

It suddenly turned much colder overnight, and we awoke to a very chilly morning, with temperatures in the 20s F in town, and even into the teens in the outlying areas. For those of us not yet used to winter weather, it was a bit of a shocker!

It was expected to be sunny, and my husband and I had plans to go into the woods for the day. We ended up hiking at Moshannon State Forest, less than 20 miles from our home. As it was chilly, we bundled up in layers, with insulated underwear beneath it all, for the first time this winter.

We parked the car and headed down a pretty pathway (see extra photos) that would eventually take us along a little stream and into the piney woods. There was a tiny skiff of snow on the ground here and there.

And what did I find along the stream but some really wonderful ice needles (also called "ice castles, frost castles, ice fringes, ice filaments, ice flowers, ice ribbons, frost flowers,  and rabbit ice").

Such ice formations occur when the ground temperature is warmer than freezing and the surface air temperature is freezing or below. Wikipedia explains that "The subterranean liquid water is brought to the surface via capillary action, where it freezes and contributes to a growing needle-like ice column."

Sometimes little particles of dirt or other impurities are pushed up with the ice as it forms. And so it was that the crystals on this day turned the bits of dirt into shiny accents of gold filigree amid the ice. I thought of Klimt, and smiled. Even the ice . . . makes art!

The song to accompany this image is an oldie by Don McLean (you'll remember his more famous hits American Pie and Vincent). The person who posted this one to YouTube calls it a "Criminally Overlooked McLean Song," and I have to agree. Here's Don McLean, with Castles in the Air.