It’s December 10th, and we’re roaming the bay like it’s the end of the month. An early start for sure. The first ice on Little Bay de Noc is ready and waiting. Shorelines and shallows are going to be the most treacherous ice to navigate until you find good ice in deeper waters. Ice measurements this morning were 4-5 inches of good clear ice in areas from Center reef down the mudflats and to the west. Once you get to the mudflats and along the east side, expect more ice protruding up than usual. Ice formed, and winds shoved it all over, creating a bunch jagged ice. A number of heaves are developing. Nothing is over a foot high except for a big one north of the Vagabond. It’s in the usual spot, about 4 feet high. As you get close to a heave like that, it’s likely some spots will have only a couple of inches or less of ice. It breaks and re-freezes daily as the cold spell continues. Some snow on the bay has created minimal slush pockets where ice cracked, pushing water on top of the ice, resulting in some frozen slush on top of a few inches of water, then 3-4 inches of solid ice beneath it. The high winds will blow the snow elsewhere. The near zero overnights are likely to eliminate some of these small pockets. A picture of one of these slushy spots is featured in today’s post. Use caution at the Yellow Gate access as pressure cracks and heaves are forming. The Red Gate/Days River Landing has obstacles forming, similar to last year. Shortly before noon today, winds sustaining 20 MPH whipped up, so it was time to postpone ice navigation until tomorrow. Be prepared and be aware to keep dry.
Increasing your odds,
-Blade