Skating on a frozen lake

This has got to be the ultimate in new experiences, skating on ice that is actually a frozen section of Lake Superior! The spot where we were was in Amethyst Harbour. Later I will video and or record the sounds of the ice moving - for anyone who has not heard such a thing before you will not believe the sounds.

Both Ash and I thought that we had heard a 'hoon' driver's over powerful sub woofer in his car the first time we heard the ice "moaning"as our hosts put it.

Our hosts for the afternoon were Nancy and Ross with a late supporting act by the amazing ski aerial artist Van. And what wonderful hosts they were - incredibly welcoming (as we have found ALL Canadians to be), living a dream in their house of million dollar views amongst a close knit community. We were treated to personal skating lessons that included all manner of fun contraptions for playing on the ice - snow scoop, deck chairs and GT sleds.

Ice skates being what they are lasted yours truly  less than 5 minutes before returning to base to be replaced with shoes more comfortable and return to the ice to photograph. Jill displayed considerable skating aplomb and grace - most of the time!

The kids absolutely adored the skating and lapped up the undivided attention of Nancy and Ross as they towed them around the ice on sleds or held them up to help them balance. Hot dogs toasted in an open fireplace tempted the kids inside briefly, and Valentines Day cupcakes kept them inside just long enough to make a mess and promptly go out to play again. This is where Van comes into play.

This talented young man having returned from a day of ski training, went outside again to play with our children (so we could laze over a beer longer) and show the kids how to use his very own unpatented ski ramp.

Ash took the challenge and tried to jump a GT off the ramp which ended in a rather anti-climatic end. A few tips from Van and Ash was away and excited to try more. Both Ash and Megan went for more skating, already showing improvement from 1 hour of practice, with Van.
For me the real excitement of the day came when we skated, walked or fell our way further out onto the lake and discovered clear ice! The photographs here do not give justice to the effect of standing on clear ice and looking into the depths of the lake below. In places trapped air bubbles have made white patterns part way into the ice which is about 1.5 metres thick. Cracks spread away in all directions and meet at some points to create vertical splits that dive down into the ice below. It is like looking at incredibly thick glass that has been cracked in places.

Pressure ridges have formed in places and there are thin plates of ice laying like broken shards of glass of low snow mounds. When you throw a shard of this ice onto the smoth ice it shatters instantly with a tinkling sound like wet glass might sound if such a thing existed. The smaller shards skitter across the ice surface like crazed ice crabs racing from a disturbance. Some travel for over 30 metres before stopping, taking up to half a minute to stop! And again, beneath all of this are the sudden echoing sounds of moving ice adding atmospherics to the otherwise silent landscape. An amazing experience for all the Jenkoz clan and certainly not one that we will forget in a hurry.