How do you know when a lake is safe to cross?

[Gogd]

It is called a life jacket. They weigh nothing. Take one when on sketchy ice.

Actually carry ice picks on your person, so someone else doesn't have to risk their life going after you. A life jacket will keep you bobbing on the water, and make victim recovery more simple, but the odds don't bode well first responders can get to you in time, before hypothermia stakes its claim. Since no one takes vests or picks into the BC, it is better advice to just stay off lake ice.

Ed

[rlown]

agree with the pics. At least with the vest your less likely take your deep breath under water.

[texan]

In Colorado a long time ago we all took life vests and a life ring bouy with a rope everytime we went ice fishing. We only did this because we saw a group people ice fishing with it and we asked them why they were being so cautious. They told me if you ever fall in the ice then you will know why and they explained a story when one of them fell thru the ice. After the story we all went to the store and bought life vests and a life ring bouy with 50 ft of rope because it can save your live.

Texan

[Gogd]

Road assessiable lakes: When I lived in northern Illinois I saw some ice fishermen drag a sheet of plywood out to the fishing hole, I assume so their weight bearing on chair legs was spread over a larger area. I saw several groups take small boats out on the ice. Everyone had picks, and rope. Some counties would fine folks who wandered out onto unsurveyed lake ice. Never saw it enforced, but I was young kid at the time.
Ed

[Harlen]

Paul wrote:

I have skied across a lot of lakes in the Sierra, and the simple rule is; stay away from the blue.

I defer to Paul on Sierra skiing, however Bearzy, who is also a lot smarter than me, often charges out onto the ice seemingly without worry. It does seem that in the second photo he is seriously studying the blue lake ice. Great minds think alike, and the lesser follow. When are we going Paulo?

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Ruby Lake in February.

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It's cool when your GPS track makes you look like Jesus.

And when jôhorn wrote that bit about about crossing lakes like Jesus I recalled my scare when crossing mostly frozen Sky Blue Lake. Unlike the reverant jôhorn, I did some heretical cursing when it began to crack under me! Here's what I wrote after the fact:

...I practice discretion over valor when alone in the backcountry, so I walked the long shoreline most of the way around. However, when I was nearly around, I recalled that the theme of this trip was "A Fool's Errand," so I decided to nip ever so lightly across the last few hundred feet of probably frozen lake. What a Fool indeed! Three quarters of the way across and I experienced that dreaded sound/feel of the lake ice cracking! I blasphemed the rest of the way across, and then counted my blessings. I promised myself to reform this sort of errant behavior in the distant future.

What a hell of a way to go, thrashing about to get out of the pack, and usually skis, as one sinks ever deeper into a freezing lake! I've lain awake contemplating that form of death.

Love the Sierra, this is a timely Post as this, of all years, is going to be one with frozen looking lakes long into the season. Good luck out there.