Snap, Crackle, and Tweet

Jackson Lake at Grand Teton National Park

After taking pictures of the alpine glow over the Tetons this morning, Adolfo and I drove to Colter Bay to look over Jackson Lake. We had camped in this area back in 2007 and wanted to see it again. The area was quite different in 2007 since we were here in the Fall, and the lake had not frozen over yet. Today the lake is frozen and even more exciting to me than it had been before. Frozen lakes are a novelty to me since I did not grow up with them. It is difficult for me to believe that it could get so cold that a huge lake could freeze.

Adolfo and I began taking pictures of the lake. After a short time, Adolfo mentioned a cracking sound. I hadn’t noticed it over the tweeting of the birds, the clicking of Adolfo’s shutter, and the quacking of the geese, but when I listened carefully, the sound was evident. The ice on the lake was beginning to crack. As the sun beamed down over the lake, the cracking increased and snapping and popping joined the harmony.

I walked to the side of the lake in search of large cracks in the ice, but found something much more beautiful. Along the shores, the ice was just beginning to melt away from rocks leaving holes in the ice slightly larger than the rocks. I could also see the ice crystals and marble-like patterns created in the ice. This ice near the shore was thin and transparent, so I could see the many colorful rocks under the surface. I even saw a small fish swim beneath the thin ice.

Adolfo came over and we started questioning the ice’s thickness. I assumed it was very thin since it was so transparent and was melting away from the rocks, so I decided to throw different sized rocks to see which would sink through the ice. Surprisingly, rocks up to 3 inches in size just chipped the ice and rolled on. Most rocks of 4 to 5 inches created a hole in the ice, but bounced off and landed on the ice. Only larger rocks broke through and sank.

Again, as I write, I think about how these words must sound to a person who has grown up in a cold climate. These may sound like childish observations, but perhaps my excitement at seeing snow and ice will renew a since of childish wonder at nature even in those who find these scenes commonplace.