Since long before I arrived here at Heston's, twenty years ago, there have been two rituals surrounding the retreat of the ice on Gunflint Lake. Sometime in March, an ice out pool is started. In the past, we would all chip in a dollar and pick a date that we thought the ice would be gone. The other thing has been to announce to all of our mailing list that the ice has gone out, by sending a postcard that says simply, "Ice Out!" along with the date that it went. Today the ice officially left the lake, so if you are on our list, you will soon receive your postcard in your nearest mailbox. Addie and I were working on them tonight. As for the ice out pool, this year there were no dollars involved, but we had fun guessing when it would be, just a few weeks ago, when some of our Preus neighbors were up. Congratulations to Jody! She was the closest, choosing April 21. The rest of us were no where near it, with dates running between April 24 and May 2.
It is an early ice-out, but Greg does remember that it went out one year on April 17. Our neighbor and friend Kermit Johnson, a previous owner of Loon Lake Lodge, guessed it that year. We can't remember which year it was, but Kermit passed away several years ago, so it has been a while.
I remember the first time that I won the ice-out pool, and it happened to be April 18, 1987. Greg and I were travelling in California and Arizona that year, and so Sharlene reported it to us when we called home. I was thrilled that I won. There was a tidy little sum of money there that I quickly put to good use---I ordered yarn. It was a lovely cotton, in white, pink and light blue. I was pregnant with Robert at the time, so I came home and wove a baby blanket for his arrival. We still have the blanket, and I like the story that goes with it.
Some years the ice-out process is dramatic. If the wind is blowing hard, it will push huge sheets of ice up on the shore. The ice can be quite powerful, moving rocks in its way, and even pushing over small trees. I once saw it move a rock. This is why it is so important to bring our docks in each fall. If it is an active ice-out year, a lot of damage can be done to a dock in a short time. We've seen docks lifted off their moorings, and once free, they can float or be blown to who knows where on the lake. This year it was quieter. It almost looked as though it would go on Easter Sunday. One-third of the lake was ice-free. Yesterday, it was out about half, which meant that there was open water in front of us. But when we went to the point to check on the east end of the lake, it was still socked in. This morning the ice was really black, which means that it has rotted substantially. By afternoon, the wind was blowing hard from the east, and so the large mass got to moving and breaking up. At dinner time, it was just down to just some icebergs floating around. The waves were lapping on the shore, and I even heard my first loon call.
When Robert and Paul were about four and three years old, they couldn't wait for the ice to go out so that they could go swimming again. I have a photo of them that year, standing with their backs to the camera, looking out at the lake. The ice was pulled back from shore about twenty yards, and they were ready and waiting to jump in. They didn't go in that day, but it wasn't long after that. These days, they are content to wait until the water and the air warm up---usually sometime in June---before they take that first plunge of the season.
Ten years ago, the ice didn't go out until May 16. That was a late one! Fishing season had opened the week before, but of course, no one could go out to the good fishing spots. Most of our guests delayed their plans by a week, in hopes that the lake would be clear. One of our favorite fishermen came up early, even though he knew that there was ice still on the lake. He launched his boat, went out to the edge of the ice, and drilled two holes--after all, you can have two lines when you are ice fishing!
We saw an otter sunning himself on the ice yesterday when we were checking on conditions. He looked quite content until he spotted us. Then he quietly slipped through a lead, back into the cold water. Geese have been flying overhead as they make their way home to Canada for the summer months. I am keeping an eye out for the hooded mergansers. The male is particularly striking. They sometimes come around for a week or two, before they, too, head further north. The resident mallards are back swimming in the bay.
