The Lamenting Lake and Skeletal Ice

Thompson Wildlife Management Area is a pretty vast area. George Thompson donated the land to Virginia upon his death as he'd been a keen hunter and wanted his friends to be able to continue enjoying the pastime. Very well known for the Trilliums which bloom each spring and also for hiking, I had come here last weekend since we had experienced an amazing 61 degrees, and although breezy, I had set off in a t-shirt, loving the unusual warmth. But it had been exceptionally muddy and only about a mile in, I had heard gun shots ahead. I had my bright orange cap on but was still concerned. When, just a minute later, I heard more shots behind me, I lost my nerve and made it back to my car, skidding and sliding at double speed.
On Saturday I returned, but this time went down to the lake area, intending to just walk around and see what ice patterns I could find. When I saw only one other truck in the parking lot, with its owner walking down the trail towards me, I thought that hopefully I'd manage a hike too, this time without hunters hidden among the trees. A heavy frost sparkled with a pristine whiteness and ahead of me on the trail brown curled leaves danced in a circle, the wind spinning them like a circle.

As I approached the lake I spotted a patch of ice and bending over I heard an odd, deep, whining noise. I stood up and walked towards the lake edge. The sounds continued and I despaired, thinking an animal was trapped under the ice. A loud crack to my right, where a large mound of branches were stacked, had me thinking a beaver was trying to break his way out. I stood still, watching and listening until I realized that the lake was draining into a covered grill area and as the level dropped, air caught underneath the ice moved and moaned. The lake was groaning so much I had to take a short video, here. I've never heard these sounds before, it was eerie, as though the lake were alive. It was quite fascinating and I must have stood a good 10 minutes watching the pond's performance before I turned and started the climb upwards.
It wasn't a hike that stunned me with nature's beauty, I was doing this purely for exercise purposes today, but it was fun looking for the patches of ice. Similar to many parts of the Appalachian Trail, the trek here looked the same, no nature, just barren brownness and the wind. No green plants or spikes of shoots breaking through the undergrowth. There were few birds and the only sound was a woodpecker jack hammering into a tree. I didn't see a single animal, no squirrels or chipmunks were leaping across fallen tree trunks or scurrying across the crunchy carpet of dead foliage. I wondered if there were any bears close to the trail, tucked up in their lairs, slumbering away through these freezing winter days.

I loved the different ice patterns. In black and white, they took on a sinister tone, losing their icy frozen quality and taking on an almost luminous tone, looking like a mucus substance from an alien planet. All the photos from today's hike were going to be in black and white, since that's what we had been asked to show at our photo club on Tuesday.

Dried leaves, curled up tight and reminding me of sea shells, blew across the path, whispering as they swept in front of me. The trail was crunchy underfoot with frozen mud and ice, a far cry from last week's muddy and slippery saunter. I only met one couple and their dog as I trekked back down the hill. I'd climbed to the top of the crest and getting tired of the sameness had turned around to head back to the lake and its sounds.
It was still creaking and whining, although less frequently now. The sun had thawed out some of the puddles and muddy areas that weren't shaded by the trees, but the wind was still cold. Down by the water's edge were blankets of ice crystals nestling in the grass. I crouched down to look at them more closely but kept slipping towards the lake's mantle of ice that was now breaking up around the rim, exposing dark still water beneath it. Time to warm up in the car and head home to stack wood. Another ice storm was coming.