Raccoon track turned to frost

By Aaron Horrell

The simplest things in nature sometimes have the ability to surprise. Maybe all the things in nature have the ability to surprise.

In this case, a raccoon went for a walk on the cool evening of Dec. 9. It walked in water at the edge of a pond, getting its feet wet. The raccoon then crossed a wooden bridge, leaving wet tracks on the boards.

The temperature fell below freezing as nighttime progressed and turned the raccoon's wet tracks to frost. I was lucky to find this track, protected by the shadow of a tree trunk, the next morning. A few minutes later the shadow moved, and sunshine befell the frosty track and melted it away.