How thick does the ice have to be to be safe?
It depends. Some say you need three inches of ice to walk on.
But that is assuming it is new, clear ice. This is fine for
December, but there are times in April that even eight inches
of ice is not safe.
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VIKI MATHER |
This being December, there is a good chance
that three inches of ice is plenty for walking on.
But who is to say that three inches of ice
where I'm standing will still be three inches of ice when I get
to the middle of the bay? Kate has been skating on six inches
of ice in the sheltered little bay behind the island. Even
while she skates, the north wind blows waves upon the edge of
the ice half way out the bay.
This is why I like to walk on the ice in
December. By walking, I know from step to step how thick the
ice is underfoot. I can tell by the
feel, I can tell by the sound. How does it
feel and sound? Good ice feels like it's really hard, there is
no "give" to the ice. And there is no sound at all. Not even a
little crack.
Of course, this only works if there is no
snow on top. Snow is a great insulator. It keeps the ice from
getting thicker, and it keeps the sound of any little cracks
from coming through to my ears. Ice with snow on top can be
dangerous. This is why I carry a long pole when I go walking on
the ice in
December. Every so often, I push the snow
away with my boot, then use the end of the pole to make a hole.
Then I stick my bare hand into the hole
and feel how thick the ice is. Three inches
is comfortable for walking.
Still, the best time for walking on ice is
just after a couple of days of calm, cold weather. The lake can
easily make three inches of strong, clear ice in two days. I
still carry a pole, and I still stop and check the thickness
now and then.
Walking on three inches or more of clear ice
is amazing. I can see 15 feet below me. I can see where the
glaciers scoured the lake bottom with a huge boulder - leaving
a clear path to the north. I can see where a tree has been
lying on the lakebed for several decades - maybe even longer.
As I get closer too shore, I can see the bottom rising, jumbles
of rocks, some sticks, and the layer upon layer of pollen that
has fallen here for thousands of years. The stones and bedrock
near shore are scrubbed clean by the waves of November. I could
almost touch them, but for this nearly invisible
layer of ice between us.
It is a rare and wondrous thing to be able to
walk on clear ice in December. With half the bay frozen over,
clear and cold for three days, I have an endless view of the
underwater world. But soon the snow comes, blocking out all the
light. I can shovel it away, but just in small windows. Then
the secrets of the lake lie hidden again until spring.
Viki Mather lives by a lake near Sudbury.
