When hiking a steep 1,700ft+ trail at High Point State Park among the backs of the Valley and Ridge mountains, I encountered an outcrop of Needle Ice by accident. Making my way up over some boulders, I stepped on a ledge of soil and a section fell off, revealing what first appeared to be glittering icicles embedded in the soil.
This occurs when the surface air temperature is colder (below 0 °C) than the temperature of the ground soil (above 0 °C) – or when the warm soil air meets the cold surface air. Because of these contrasting temps that causes molecular attractions, groundwater is pulled up to the surface via capillary action and then freezes into long, needle-like ice structures.
Here are 2 macro close up photos I snapped. For scale, the centered Needle Ice is roughly 17mm across, or about the size of an American dime.
“Melody” is the story of a Latina who was born in a Chilean coal mining town that had a chance encounter with a tiny makeshift orchestra where its students shared violins every 15 minutes. This encounter bloomed a lifelong career as a violinist, eventually becoming the director of a Chilean youth orchestra school. Here, Melody notices that a student, Giorgina Avila, bears a natural talent on the violin. Remembering her roots, Melody begins to foster Giorgina’s talent, but her effort is halted when Giorgina’s parents relocate up north due to economic pressures. After many months, Melody travels up north and convinces the parents to allow Giorgina to live with her, so that she may continue her music studies.
In those 15 minutes (of playing) I felt like I was no longer the color of my city. -Melody Jerez
This is a beautiful story of gratitude, passion, and mentorship.
