Through the Ice

     Gunflint Lake froze this season on December 28th.  Ten days ago, a fisherman told me that he had drilled through 15 inches of ice.  This weekend, the fishermen found 17 inches (and ten lake trout, too!).  What all of this means is that it has been much easier to keep a hole open in the ice for the sauna.  Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, having Paul home for the winter is probably the biggest factor to make this happen.

     Winter is the perfect time for taking a sauna.  Our little building is one of the few wood-fired saunas amongst the lodges up here.  For some guests, the only way to take a true and complete sauna is by taking that plunge into the lake after getting good and hot.  It's fun to hear the shouts and exclamations as people run from the porch and then slip into the icy water.  It is actually an activity that I have never done, and still have no desire to try.  Something about that cold black water keeps me away.  Greg says that it matters most how hot you let yourself get.  If you are warmed enough, you Want to go into the lake.  Hmmm, not me.

     I will help to keep the hole open when I can, though.  If we are lucky, the ice cover between uses is only a couple of inches thick.  Recently when I popped it open, it was only a half-inch skim.

As I used our special sauna shovel (the broken one) to scoop up the sheets of ice, I noticed that it was very easy to see the bottom of the lake.  The next day, I learned from some sauna-bathers that the water level was only about waist-deep in the hole.  That didn't sound too scary, but one still needs to exercise caution when dunking underneath the surface.  The edges of the hole can be sharp, and it's wise to wear wool socks.  Although they get wet, they still offer a layer of insulation between your feet and the cold snow.

     Seeing the rocks so clearly on the bottom fascinates me.  In the summer, it is a rare day that the lake is still enough to provide this kind of view.  It would be fun to see a fish swim by, were I to be so lucky.  Quite honestly, it makes it look a lot less intimidating to think about jumping in.  If you are thinking that perhaps it changed my mind completely, I'm about to disappoint you.  The thought of taking a shower after the sauna still appeals to me more.  I guess I'm just not as hardy as the rest.