Off-Grid and Free: The Dangers of a Slush-Covered Lake

Reader Contribution by Ron Melchiore
Published on April 20, 2016
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Good day to all! Picking up from where we left off in my post from last week, I was lamenting the fact that I had inadvertently flooded our bay with water when I bored a hole through the ice. I wanted to assess how thick the ice was and, as it turned out, we had 22 inches.

In this particular case, the water had come from the hole I drilled. But, in my experience, there is always some spot on a frozen lake where water has seeped through to the frozen lake surface. Generally, these spots occur in bays but that’s not always true. So, when I’m out on the lake and either start walking or snowmobiling in an area showing signs of slush, I become concerned. Where’s the hole? Where’s the water coming from?

Dangers of a Slush-Covered Lake

Water seeping onto the lake surface mixes with the snow layer, forming slush. Slush is bad for a number of reasons. When snowmobiling, it’s generally impossible to see slush until you get into it. The snow-covered surface of a lake all looks the same. The first clue that you’re in trouble is when you notice the sled bogging down and then you realize — oops, you’re mired in a soupy mess.

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