River hike

I took a hike on and along the Saint Paul side of the river, toward the end of that stretch of below-zero weather. There was some cool graffiti to look at. The limestone cliffs are sweet to see from that perspective. And there were loping coyote tracks and beaver sign. I even found the homestead of the big specialized rodents. I encountered no people out there, which is another reason winter landscapes seem so much bigger.

I came across the carcass of a raccoon, I think. It died face down in the snow. Another animal came along and not only peed directly on it but shat on it too. This illustrates the point that the only dignity animals have is that which we project onto them.

In addition I marveled at the dynamics of ice. The river is not in fact frozen through and through. Instead a thick layer of ice spans the river and is supported by its own buoyancy owing to the ice’s lower density than the flowing water below. Creaks and groans emanate from the river’s edge in occasional outbursts, and these are only the audible hints of shifting, fast-moving pressure changes transmitting constantly through the solid ice. The center of the river is strewn with shards of clear ice that are pushed up during unknown nocturnal movements. As I walked closer to the shore I broke through thin suspended films of ice that covered much thicker ice below. And I stepped into a pool of ankle-deep slush owing to pollution with road salt. Fortunately I had the right boots on.