Icy Hike on Lookout Mountain

Here are a couple of views of the falls on Lookout Mountain. You'll notice that the thicker ice at the bottom of the falls has a pale blue cast. This reminded me of another icy hike I once took on the Matanuska Glacier near Chickaloon, Alaska. If you'd like to see one of the pictures from that hike, check into this blog's archives and you'll see one wayyyy back. If you want to compare and contrast consider this- while on the Alaskan hike, the air temperature was 80 degrees off of the glacier. Probably between 50 and 60 at our most distant point on the ice. Warm days like that are unusual in that part of Alaska, but it was July. That glacier stretches back up the valley for miles even though it is, like other glaciers, receding at an alarming rate. On Lookout Mountain, it's uncommon to have mid-morning temperatures in the mid-teens, but it is January. I wouldn't want it to remain cold for months on end like the winters I remember from my younger days in northwestern Illinois. That was ridiculously cold. But I must admit, this recent cold snap has been refreshing. Perhaps that's because I'm comfortable knowing that like these icy scenes, the harsh temperatures are fleeting.

January Hike at Lula Lake

Every once in awhile nature provides a great opportunity to see something special, but you have to be willing to accept the challenge. For instance, when the air temperature is 15 degrees most people don't want to lace up the hikers to stomp around in the woods. If you are willing to face the cold however, you might be pleasantly surprised by what you'll find. I phoned a like-minded friend about just such a hike last week. As it turns out, he was considering a similar adventure. This video is the scene we witnessed at Lula Lake this past Saturday. Keep in mind that all of the elements had to line up for this scene to play out. The falls were spectacular due recent heavy rain and the cold temperatures caused the spray to freeze and accumulate on the surrounding ledges, rocks and trees. Tremendously long icicles formed along the surrounding terrain, animated by trickles of water behind the translucent ice.

Hiking to the bottom of the falls isn't normally terribly challenging. But about the time the lead hiker was urging caution about the "black ice" coating the landscape timbers which help form the steps, my left foot was flying out from under me. Or at least I would have preferred that smooth of a foot motion. Actually, my boot had enough traction left to twist my ankle into an unnatural position just prior to my headfirst downhill slide. Luckily I landed on my back, but it's pretty difficult to fight gravity when you're staring skyward with all four limbs pointing out the cardinal directions of the compass. I'm lucky I didn't do any serious damage. That would have ruined the rest of the day's hike among some of the most gorgeous scenery that will soon disappear. There are many things that are fleeting. Fortunately, I have these clips to remind me to accept challenges.