Ice walkers (17F) - Island Pond Lake, Appalachian Trail

[tman038]

awesome as usual is right! great thread/pics etc. my favorite is the seasonal comparison shot of the same exact spot!! so cool! ty for sharing

 

[JV3]

Looks like a good trip. I'm just starting to get into cold weather hiking.

go for it!

Thanks for the further addition of pics amigo.

That is a beautiful spot to stop, sun or snow.

Btw I think your mystery shrub may be a rhododendron.

you're welcome and thanks for the id! several people mentioned rhododendron so that's most likely it.

My blood pressure just triple cuz of that last pix

haha, that's why we hike in this weather - lots of calories burned to make room for the fatty food afterwards

Maybe take an auger with you next time.

even better, we'll build a fire on top of the ice

Awesome as usual!

thanks!

When I was in my teens, my brothers and Dad hiked up to this big dam out in the woods. It was completely froze over and of course us kids just had to go out onto the ice. My Dad was petrified that we would take the chance.... ice breaks and the water is DEEP, if you don't drown right then, you die from hypothermia since we were about 10 miles out in the middle of no where and it was real cold. We kids (knew about the risks) but we just grinned and had a good time out on the ice. That is one of the differences between being a kid and an adult.

I know what it feels like to completely get soaked (broken ice and really get dunked head to toe) and have to figure out what to do when it's 15-20 degrees F out.

heh, we were definitely like kids whenever in the outdoors.

On one hand, if BG had been there he would have crashed the ice and jumped in just for sport.

On the other hand, being roped and at least 25' distant is not a bad precaution. I can't think of many people better prepared to deal with the after affects of a dunking than you two but I would really hate to see you risk it all proving that! I have played on lake ice but I admit to being careful enough to stay in the shallow end(less that 4' or water when thawe). I have gone through in water I knew to be less than chest deep and it kind of sucks.

Bill

thanks, bill...an h-frame or two with dead wood acting as snowshoes i think we can make it next time...and catch it earlier in the morning when it's coldest. damnit, we're making it on that island some day

awesome as usual is right! great thread/pics etc. my favorite is the seasonal comparison shot of the same exact spot!! so cool! ty for sharing

thanks! i like coming back to familiar areas in different seasons just to see how things change. what's amazing is how well snow covers up a stream too and if one doesn't know about that stream they could just walk past it and end up wasting time/fuel melting snow.

 

[lmalterna]

"what's amazing is how well snow covers up a stream too and if one doesn't know about that stream they could just walk past it and end up wasting time/fuel melting snow. "

Or walk right into it. I have seen a few people do that.
H shoes would certainly spread the weight and help prevent cracks.

Bill

 

[Woods Walker]

I wish Marttiini still made that inexpensive red handled knife. Always delayed on buying it and one day they were gone.

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

The DNR here has guidelines for ice safety.

4 inches for walking.

5 inches for a snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle.

8 to 12 inches for a car.

12 to 15 inches for a medium-sized truck.

Snow cover makes for thinner ice. When in doubt, chop a hole.

 

[22-rimfire]

We used to ice skate (hockey) on 2" thick ice. You do create waves however when you move quickly and occasionally you might have a skate punch through the ice is a weak spot.