Lake walking

[Lakegeezer]

Originally Posted by nvmbr9

Im new to area and no expert. But just looking at the lake freeze...it seems the top of alton bay is the last to go...so it must have currents etc. Would love to hear from lake expert. It seems like it should be as solid as anywhere else but why the last to freeze?

I walked out on the lake in front of my house. Honestly it is hard as a rock with no evidence anywhere of any weakness. yes we should apply common sense and i think i did. I did walk with my pick ax but i felt a little silly. I picked at it and it is hard hard hard hard. It was like antarctica. Blue sky wind about forty knots it felt. Cool. I love it

20 years ago I was 29. We are almost the same age. The 1950s is a good vintage.

You are doing the right thing by using something to check the conditions. Don't feel silly. By checking the ice until you feel 100% comfortable, you will learn a lot about the ever changing nature of the ice and gain confidence. Be cautious, but know when to be confident.

The ice is about as good as it gets right now. As the sun gets higher in the sky, the water around the rocks will start to get soft. As for last to freeze - I'm not an expert, but have a lot of ice checking experience. Places with lots of springs, narrow shallow areas, windy spots and big water seem to be the last to freeze. Late next month, you'll start finding slush under the snow, but on top of the ice. That's the beginning of the end, but its still safe for quite a while as long as you don't get mired in the slush.