2021 Spring Thaw

 Well it’s that time of season again as I took our truck off the ice March 17 ( going by memory last year was March 28 ? )

We normally park out at Barepoint and I can access her by snowmobile or Quad to run to town for fresh produce during the ice out period. That is what I did last Spring at the start of pandemic, then Reserve set up roadblocks and we didn’t get our truck back till around June 01. We then rented Vehicle/Boat slip from Smith Camps for month of June and they let us move back to Barepoint July 01.

Not wanting to go through that again I called Manager at Barepoint and he said they are in a mini lockdown as surrounding reserves have outbreaks. The Rat Portage Reserve is getting vaccinated over the next 2 weeks. So for the second season in a row we were scrambling for Truck parking during break up, fortunately friends offered their yard and I can quad/snowmobile to their dock.

This is a different type break up this year, normally we have holes appear on South side of French Narrows Portage that we navigate around as well as our own landing. This year they are still solid it’s the Ministry landing in town was the first to go, the ice was flooded with water so you don’t know where holes are so people were putting sticks in them as markers ! When coming off the ice with big truck it pushes a wave and water spurts up these holes. Another problem was the pressure ridge in Andrew Bay, the water is 12” deep on our side of it. People have been moving over trying to find dry spot to cross but when I took my chainsaw and ice bar to cut it down on January 07 there was no ice on either side of the road under pressure ridge. I’m afraid of dropping a tire in that area. An alternate route for us is to run Parallel to south side Barrier islands to 12 mile but there are 2 pressure ridges this route.

We have our usual spring birds back , crows,Geese, Eagles, Foxes were barking weeks ago. Back on Feb 23 while Debbie was splitting wood for my shop it was plus 4 and we saw a mosquito fly by, must have been in wood ?

On final note I’m leaning towards an early ice out ? Unless we get a lot Spring moisture lake is very low I may not have enough water under the bow of our boat to float her off lift. This wouldn’t be first time.

Stay safe

Pressure ridge

 Ptarmigan Bay has 12-14” ice and there are no roads as of this morning. I checked with the guys plowing the main roads and his reply was he is not sure who is plowing that area ? But if you want to text me at 1 (807) 466-1891 I can introduce you to them.

I’m posting this  that Tom Thomson posted on Facebook showing our pressure ridge just East of Queer Island. It is where the road splits to go into Andrew Bay and Dorian Marsh.

I personally have not spoke with Leonard about this but heard second hand someone plowed a shoe fly around ridge and travel is not recommended?  There is a large pressure ridge starting between Allie island and East Allie island this one blocks travel on South side of Barrier islands to the 12 mile Portage.

Otherwise the roads are in awesome shape, widest I’ve seen.

Snowmobile conditions are perfect, they are marking trails .

Ice roads

 The boys have been out plowing ice roads, we have a trail to our landing. BUT it comes with a warning! Bob said there is not much ice  at the start of Dorian Marsh, he said we would have no problem bringing The Honda CRV home but too early for truck yet. We have 10” ice at our landing but that is not the case everywhere.  As a warning just because you see a plowed trail/road does not mean it is safe. Check for yourself and be safe.

Snowmobile to Ministry Landing today

 

Made my first trip into town today by snowmobile. The 8” block ice is from my landing.  Met a friend who came in from south side of Barrier islands he said checked ice all way in least amount was 6” he was driving a Jeep back down the lake. Saw a couple 3/4 ton trucks heading south from Strawberry Portage.There were 2 pressure ridges from my place to tip of Queer isl. from there to Town 3 more. With worst in Matheson Bay but you run parallel to that one. For most part 1” snow on the ice and in places wind blown so bare ice. There is not enough snow for boys to plow yet. My truck is still in Lockdown at Barepoint Marina. We need snow to fill in the rocks at Tip of Queer if it wasn’t for that I could bring CRV down to island. Safe travels and check ice often in your travels.

The 4” ice

 Was at our south side landing yesterday morning, we have 2” snow in Bush  but none on ice making it hard to walk on it’s so slippery. It’s more of a shuffle. The ice is crystal clear and walking the shore line you can see bottom easily in 8’ water ( but no fish) . Our coldest night by our thermometer was back Nov 22 got to -11 c with most nights hanging around-6  warming to -2 since the lake froze not much wind but leading up to the freeze was very windy. Because Rat Portage is in lockdown ( our truck/trailer are sitting at Barepoint) no one in or out the iceboat are staging from Anichinabe park. Bob  Boucha stopped here in his iceboat yesterday and said still open water patches about the size of our house by Eagle Island, Rope Island, and Kennedy point. He said it would be hard to snowmobile down there because of the holes. Starting Nov. 17 the lake tried to freeze was a bright sunny day at only -7 standing on the dock looking out over water it appeared to be turning to jello with ice forming. Next morning  the Sw winds broke it up sounding like glass breaking as it got pushed up on shore was about 1/8” thick. Then on Nov. 23 the bay from our place froze north to Narrows froze and never did re open. Then on Nov. 30 during night we made 1” ice and could not see any open water from our shoreline.  This tied the early freeze up with 2006 and 2013. The latest it froze was Dec. 08 2009. Will be a few days yet before I venture too far on quad or snowmobile as I don’t know where the last of the open areas to freeze are ? Bob also said because there is no snow to protect the ice pressure ridges are forming.

 

 Rick Jackson , November 30 2020 Cannot see any open water ! Made 1" ice during the night