Deep Winter Report I

January 14th through 21st, 2013

Lake Lucerne
Cold. Not the coolness of a Lake Lucerne swim in May, but the bone chilling cold of Deep Winter. It's best to keep active so as not to freeze in place. Checking the ice thickness is just the ticket.
Lake Lucerne
A little over 9 inches of very clear ice currently covers the lake.
Lake Lucerne
It somehow feels warmer looking up at the hole from under the lake. The water is still very clear.
Lake Lucerne
A number of small snow squalls has made Knott Lane look more wintery.
Lake Lucerne
All 17 downhill runs are open at Brule. The hill was largely void of skiers.
Lake Lucerne
After 30 runs, we left before the lifts stopped. Also discovered the run called "Log Jam" is the better way to get from the back of the hill to the front. It's still pretty scary steep though.
Lake Lucerne
One of the more fun things to do during Deep Winter is to bring pans of water to a boil and fling them into the cold morning air.
Lake Lucerne
The water freezes instantly into a fine powder.
Lake Lucerne
Deep Winter is here and blanketing the northwoods in an icy shroud. So far today, it has not gotten above -5°F. We might see zero by Wednesday. Huzzah! When nostrils aren't frozen shut, the air smells very fresh with a hint of burning wood. Along with the cold has come some wind. If you have to go out it's best to wear a hat and car.


-Nemo, freezing into a fine powder