Brown Ice

Rode up Brown this morning. Saw some interesting soil formations on the trail in a shady section toward the top. The surface of the dirt had taken on a sponge-like shape – or maybe more like the inside of an English muffin. I was trying to figure out what would cause that kind of surface on the trail. My first thought was that they’d had some equipment up there grading the road. But that didn’t quite explain it. Then I remembered that I’d seen something like that before - along the side of roads in cold climates. And then I realized it was ice reforming the trail. A second later I actually saw ice on the trail – only a tiny amount on the surface but enough under the surface to make the trail hard and crunchy. It only lasted for several feet through that one section that apparently gets very little or no sun at this time of year. But, it was fun to see and feel it.