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On ice

Andrew | 25 January, 2007 09:01 | (191)

I’m here to tell you, the ice is strong enough for skating. At least, it was on Lovewell Pond Wednesday night, before the predicted deep freeze. The bad news: that recent dusting of snow fell while the ice was still soft, and all but wrecked it for skating.
There are good smooth sections though, and maybe some of the other local lakes fared better? Let me know.
I love pond skating, but haven’t been able to do it for a few years now.

Conditions have to be just right (very cold for several days, and no snow), and the season never lasts long. Dunklee Pond in Hollis is among the best, because it’s so long and scenic, but Lovewell is awful nice, especially for being within the city limits (it’s off Old Ridge Road).
Childhood misadventure made me more cautious about ice. I nearly didn’t live through elementary school, as the result of my decision to cut across Quarton Lake (in Birmingham, Mich.) on the way home from school one spring. It was super cold that day, but there’d been an early thaw. I don’t remember much from childhood, but I will never forget the crack, the plunge and the intense focus it brought to mind. I spread my arms wide and kicked for all I was worth, so my head never went under. There was no one else around. I knew that if I didn’t get myself out quickly, I would die. The ice kept breaking as I tried to climb out, so I pounded with my fists and forearms while I kicked, until I couldn’t break any more, and was able to climb out and crawl to shore. Only then did I feel the cold. I was wearing those dark green buckle-up felt lined rubber boots with the black tread that were de rigueur in my school that year, and I remember feeling the water slosh inside them as I trudged the last several blocks home, walking stiff-legged in my frozen jeans.
I told my mom and dad all about my little adventure on Quarton Lake, but not right away. I didn’t want to worry them, or get in trouble, so I waited until I’d made it safely past my 40th birthday.
So with those memories in mind, I stayed close to shore as I skated around Lovewell the other night. I threw a large rock onto the ice from shore first. I could see from the cracks, and also the trapped bubbles, that the ice was at least three inches thick. There were some long cracks across the pond, still seeping fresh water in spots, but that’s not unusual.
If you do venture out, watch for thin spots and don’t sue anybody if you fall through and live to tell about it. Of course it’s dangerous.

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