Needle Ice and Good Friends


Pam and Linda
photo by Ken Barr
It was a cold sunny Prescott day and good friends were in town.  A day to share stories and memories and to explore new places.  We decided to explore the trail in the Granite Dells across from the Phippen Museum here in Prescott. It was an easy trail and with 3 Nikon cameras and a cell phone we knew there would be lots of picture taking!
A piece of the plane at the crash site
Each of us noticed the same and different aspects on the walk.  We looked at the site of the U.S. Constellation crash that occurred several years ago while we took a few pictures. 
We took the left fork for a short distance before deciding we should have taken the path on the right.  There were a lot more giant patterned boulders along the other path!   Before we turned back we found patches of ice.  And we found needle ice formations.  Of course, we did not know they were called ‘Needle Ice’ until we got home and researched.  What an amazing find. 
We almost missed this tiny patch of Needle Ice!
Detail of Needle Ice

Needle ice forms when the ground freezes and the air stays cold.  They can form any place and the ice crystals grow upward starting underground.  It would have been easy to just tromp along the path and crunch these crystals but fortunately, one of us saw a sparkle and explored.  Looking at this tiny patch of vertical ice crystals was like looking into another world. 

This is about 1 1/2" tall!
I could imagine being very very small winding my way carefully between the ice columns looking for?  something.  In a way it would be like winding my way along the path in these giant patterned boulders in the Granite Dells.

Giant Rocks at Granite Dells
As we walked along the trail between Oak and Manzanita trees, boulders and frozen plants, we continued to watch for icy patches.  And we were captivated with the patterns of frosted ice and with the patches of frozen ice starting to melt with the water running under the top ice sheet. 


Water running under the top sheet of ice
Melting Ice Pattern
Frosted Ice Pattern
Of course, I was thinking 'Texture Sheets!' and my friend said, "What are those?"  I explained how I would someday take my photos, turn them into black and white pictures and make photopolymer plates that would allow me to press the patterns into unbaked clay.  I'll invite her back to see that process! 


San Francisco Peaks in the Distance
At Granite Dells
Later we had lunch and the men went to explore more of the land and the ladies went shopping!  But the morning will be one of those memories we will often refer to as ‘very special’.
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Location: Granite Dells, Prescott, AZ 86301, USA

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