Spring Days and Melting Ice

 We've had another beautiful spring day - very un-March-like.  Although these warmer than usual March days are wonderful for most of us, I expect sugar makers are finding the season has been shortened considerably as a consequence. The last couple of nights the temperature has remained above freezing, and if that continues, the end of the season is probably already here. 

There are definite perks, though. The snow is disappearing rapidly, even here in the snow belt of West Danville and Walden. The hillsides above Route 15 on the eastern shore of Joe's Pond has almost no snow; however, here on the western shore, we still have 6 to 8 inches of snow in many places, but today the bare spots increased in size and water was running off the hillside. This also means there is a lot of warmish water running into the pond and the ice is melting both from the sun beating down on it from above, and the water warming underneath making the ice is even less stable than most years. One of the sure signs that danger is looming on the ice is that the fishermen have all removed their shanties at least a week or two earlier than they have to by law. The law says shanties have to be removed from the ice on the last weekend in March or when the ice becomes unsafe, whichever is earlie. There have been people walking on the ice at the northern end of the pond by the islands, and locals have panicked watching them. Some people are still walking or skiing regularly on the pond, but given the existing conditions, it simply is not safe. I've had several people tell me how worried they are and ask that I warn others that the ice is particularly unsafe this year. We had an erratic winter weather pattern. A four-wheeler went through the ice in a totally unexpected spot early in the winter and we've had a wide variance in reported thickness of the ice this season, proving that there are undetectable thin spots and anyone walking on the ice could hit one of those spots at any moment and instantly be in serious trouble. Please, for your own safety and other's peace of mind, stay off the ice!

The Ice- Out Contest is rapidly coming to a close. Shelly Walker does news releases to the media and told me tonight that the Times Argus has a nice article about Joe's Pond's contest in it; also, Dana Gray covered the block being set out earlier this week for the Caledonian Record. Shelly said she thinks the Hardwick Gazette also has an article. She said she would appreciate having people get in touch with her when they come across an article or hear something on the radio or TV. There have been mentions of our contest on Facebook, too - all really welcome and the committee would like to know about whatever buzz there is. So if you see something about the Joe's Pond Ice-Out, let Shelly know. Her email is:  walkermecats@charter.net