Winter Wall

Sometimes Sitka surprises me, even having lived here for more than 40 years. A week or so ago I was driving and walking along Sawmill Creek Road, beyond the old mill site, across the Sawmill Creek Bridge, heading for Herring Cove.

The road is cut into the hillside and for a run of almost half a mile there was a wall of icicles. It was massive. But what made it incredible was the light. It was just before 3PM and the red and yellow light of the setting sun cast colored shadows on the ice. Some of it was amber, some gold and, in the shade it was frosty white or icy blue. I called Suzi and told her to meet me outside, I wanted to show her something. When we got back to the ice wall the color was even better. And the sensation of sun on your back and frost on your face was delightful, kind of like the reverse of roasting s’mores on a winter campfire.

Flip through these pics and enjoy them.