Yesterday our ice went out. A strong easterly wind of 20 to 30 MPH pounded the ice into our shore, grinding the pack into tiny cubes that melted quickly. The lake ice gave up the ghost without much effort this year, perhaps due to the heavy snow loads on the new ice last December. Heavy snow falls early last winter created a lot of deep slush which then eventually froze into a rather “punky” ice. This thick blanket of snow so effectively insulated the ice that, in spite of the record cold temps, we saw signs that the deer were pawing down to the slush for a drink throughout the winter. The end of April is typically when the ice goes out, so it looks like we are on track for a “normal” spring, whatever that might be?!