Quote Originally Posted by Kalei
I wouild be so scared to be on a lake, do you ever get scared of it breaking, or ever hear the ice cracking? Is there dangerous spots you know not to go on? Just wondering since I've never been on large bodies of water that have turned to ice
That's not a big lake. It's actually pretty small and not particularly deep. It's been safe to run on since mid-November and will be til mid-April. Some people wait til the snowmobilers have crossed the ice to consider it safe. I wait until I see wolf tracks on it. Wolves are smarter about such things than snowmobiles! Never hear about wolves going through the ice! I also never argue with my leaders on ice. If they don't want to cross, they have a reason and we'll find a different trail.

I stay away from the beaver dams since they always have an exit somewhere and tend to get slush on top of the ice. Cold wet paws don't make for happy dogs. Occasionally, I hear the ice popping, but it's just noise. It's not breaking and we aren't going to go through. On bigger lakes, I tend to stick closer to the shore, not straight across the middle! But for the most part, this time of year, the lakes around here, regardless of size have a couple feet of ice on them. They make roads on some lakes! It's early in the winter and spring that you have to be more careful on the ice.