Remembering that we had 50 degrees and an inch of rain just before this cold spell made me think the rivers would be flowing well enough to create some good ice formations, so I took a trip over to Shannon Brook which drains the Ossipee Mountains at Castle in the Clouds. I wasn't disappointed - Shannon Brook was flowing well and had sculpted some impressive ice formations.
Shannon Brook in the Ossipee Mountains. |
Where the river flowed over gentle terrain the ice had completely hidden the rushing water below.
Openings in the ice showed where multiple layers had frozen; first at one level, then as the stream dropped, it froze again a couple of inches below the prior layer.
Note how over time, the edges of the top layer have softened relative to the lower layer of the cake. |
The largest of the waterfalls was completely hidden by thick ice with only glimpses of water through some gaps.
One can hike the Brook Walk from either the top or the bottom of the trail, but I like to start at the top, saving the tallest waterfall, the "Fall of Song", for last.
The Fall of Song. |
The Fall of Song is too tall to capture in one photo; here's a video from top to bottom:
With no snow on the ground there hasn't been any tracking of animals to see who's been roaming over the lake. But we have had frequent visits from the Red-bellied Woodpecker, including a pair at one point, the first time I've seen two Red-bellieds together.
A Red-bellied Woodpecker extracts a chunk of suet from the feeder. |
The lack of snow did allow a long stretch of some fabulous skating on the lake.
Then yesterday we received an inch of snow, which wasn't enough to ski on but it will be enough to hunt for animal tracks, and it did make the world look like winter again. People out enjoying their winter activities this weekend will feel right at home.
An ice fisherman plies his trade during the snowstorm. |
It looks like the cold weather will hang around long enough that we'll be able hold the big winter events on Meredith Bay this year. Pond Hockey is first, coming up in just three weeks!