Hidden

So many people move so fast, never taking time to stop and look around them, always rushing to their destination without even thinking about the trip there. We're in full blown winter, the snow is around a foot, the days are still short, the wood burning stove is always running. Before all the snow came, I took off for the afternoon and hiked into the state forest.

 

 I ran into a small frozen stream, it seemed so lifeless compared to swiftly moving, laughing water of the warmer months. From a distance, it was uninteresting, a smudge of white across the dull brown hill. Nothing more than frozen water, maybe an occasional sparkle from the pale sunlight. I followed the stream for the remainder of my hike, and this is what I found when I took the time to slow down, and look a little closer.

A single drop of water, it looked like it had frozen instantly.

The edges of the forming ice looked like feathers, each segment completely unique.

The sunlight bounced off the ice of a small pool, creating a pattern of crisscrossing lines. When I ran my finger over the ice, I could barely feel and scratches. But when I looked from ground level, it looked like the ice was full of deep rivets.

At one point the ice formed intricate patterns of lines, only visible if you where within three feet or so.

Water was still moving through a steam part of the stream, the only ice was forming off this rock, creating this interesting pattern. Take time, slow down, and who knows what you'll find.