Monday, January 25, 2016

Hike #7: McLean Game Refuge - Granby, CT

Date Hiked:  Monday, January 25, 2016
Estimated distance round-trip: 2.86 miles
Weather: 35°F, sunny
Resources:  McLean Game Refuge, Refuge Map
Highlights of the trip: ice sounds
Progress toward 2016 hiking goals:  7/52 hikes; 20.45/250 miles




Not too much to report.  It was a beautiful day, so I decided to do a short hike before lunch.  The trails had a dusting of snow on them, but that was about it.  The kids were sorely disappointed we didn't get more.

The game refuge is a fairly common hiking spot for me.  I love being out in the woods and it is always beautiful, but because I hike here so often, I find it hard to come up with something unique to comment on.  Well today, I didn't see something unique, but I did hear something a bit unusual.  I'm not really sure how to describe it other than to say it was almost other-worldly.  As I came down the hill toward Spring Pond, I heard this bizarre twanging (not really the right word) noise.  I assumed it was something that was going on farther away - some construction site noise or something.  When I got down to the pond, I heard it again.  It was definitely coming from the pond.  I decided it was the ice shifting.  There would be a loud noise and then it would echo around the pond which is surrounded on three sides by hills.


Here is a video that someone else made that captures the sound I heard. 

Lower Sardine Ice Cracking or, as I like to think of it, alien ice sounds:  YouTube video




2 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I was having a hard time describing the sound - it made me think of aliens for some reason. I would think it could be very unsettling if the light was getting dim, but maybe it would be colder then and the ice wouldn't make that sound.

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