The blanket of deep snow on the lake has kept the ice quiet this winter. Absent this year are the haunting bangs and warbles of cracking ice as the temperatures changes back and forth from the chilly nights to the warmish days. In their place this year are the sounds of wood expanding and contracting which fills the morning and evening air. Since our forests are a mixture of deciduous and conifer trees, it is unclear if the sound is particular to any species, but most definitely, their are strange noises
emitting from tree trunks. This small spruce tree on the Falkner Lake trail might emit a noise but the shroud of over 3 feet of snow would certainly muffle it.