Thin Ice

Even though I live now in Illinois, I continue to get the Minocqua Wisconson news paper every week because I have many friends there. Also our lake property is there with my son,Jack,as owner, and we need to follow the various changes that are occurring.

Now in last week's paper was a sad item even though I didn't know the people personally, I still felt the sadness for these people. In four consecutive days there were four accidents where people went through thin ice and drowned. The last one was the worst. Here the vehicle fell with two passengers went through the ice, but one was able to escape out of the vehicle. The other person drowned. How tragic to have sudden deaths in four families of active people.

This winter has also been mild with very little snow when a normal mid January temperatures should be near zero and ice on the lakes over 4 inches thick. This brought to my mind the time when I fell through the ice.

Very similar circumstances, mid January, but temperature was near zero and a good cover of snow. It was a week end when Jack and Marilou were over to do some cross country skiing. They went on the pond that I call, Broz Lake, because it is on the East end of our property. After they returned they suggested that there was a beautiful spot on the pond where the snow covered branches arched over the inlet creek, like a cathedral.

Then on Monday I told Dorothy that we should check it out because there was not much happening that day. After lunch we put on our skies and went to find our new found "cathedral". We were skiing on our pond before, and I knew where this creek was located. We would have to go about a half block across the pond and to our right.

There it was. A beautiful winter scene. The trees were on both sides, as if it was an entrance. It was narrow so I told Dorthy that I would go first. I hardly finished saying that when I started to go down as if I was in an elevator. Skies and all made a seven foot hole in the ice, I told her not to come any closer because I fell through the ice.

This was a shallow spot and I was standing on the bottom, However I am up to my waist standing in ice cold water. I leaned to the side to get out but the ice broke. So I moved back to thicker ice, I was able to get my left leg and ski out of the water. However when I turned my body, my right ski was caught under the ice. Now I had to lower my self back into the water to release the right ski and turn it to be able to get it into the hole where it went in. Now I was able to get both skies on top of the ice, and I decided to keep both skies on since I had to get back to the house.

I made it back but my shoes were encased in ice. I was able to get my skies off, and then I had to melt the shoe laces before I could get them off. I proceeded to remove my wet clothes and dry myself. Then a hot chocolate drink. The next day I developed a cold, but that was all of the effects after an ice bath.

My guardian angel was with me all that while so I'm here to tell you my story. So be careful of thin ice.