Fractal Ice
Two weeks ago I took Newton to Hickory Hill Park. While he ran thither and yon, I hiked off-trail to follow the mostly frozen Ralston Creek through the woods. I was dedicated to the trek, even risking my life when I leaped from a high south bank to an equally high north bank. (I didn’t trust that the ice on the creek was thick enough to hold me.) On the north bank, where I trudged through foot-deep snow, were trees mangled by deer. I mostly stayed close to the creek, and in doing so I discovered a hole in the ice where the water still ran, black against the snow. Where the ice re-formed a short way downstream, a film of algae or mud or some other scum collected, as threads. I thought it rather beautiful.
The curvature of the ice reminds me of the Mandelbrot set.
A close-up of the film
