If you haven’t noticed, it’s been pretty cold these past couple of months. These cold conditions have frozen the lake to more than 10 inches in some areas, something that didn’t happen last year. This makes for some unique and fun opportunities to recreate on Utah Lake. We’ve highlighted a couple, such as the post last week about a group of friends who ran across the lake and back again. We also highlighted a KSL.com story about skimming. There have been other stories reported in the media about biking across the lake as well.
Well, just a couple of weeks ago, the Mayor of Provo, John Curtis, who is also a member of the Utah Lake Commission Board, was intrigued by the idea, and wanted to give it a try. After we provided him with some safety tips, he set off with his wife, son, and Deputy Mayors Dixon Holmes and Corey Norman to bike across the lake. After realizing that some of their bikes would probably not make it due to a thick layer of snow on top, the Mayor continued on with Dixon, prepared with life jackets, rope, a couple of GPS units, and other safety supplies. They had a great time! Check out their YouTube video of the fun experience! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr30AUfmEsQ&list=UUpzbaZgc5bij7jrcaLT3rKA&index=1[/youtube]
Another adventurous family, the Bristows, decided to hike across the lake from Pelican Bay south of Saratoga Springs, ending near Center Street in Orem. You can tell by the picture that they were well prepared with emergency equipment should something happen. They too had a couple of inches of snow on top of the ice, making the hike a bit strenuous…kind of like walking through beach sand. As they got closer to the shore they came to a newly formed crack. Upon further inspection, the ice was only about a ½ inch thick! They were a bit nervous, but were able to reach the shore just fine. As you can tell, conditions out there can change quickly. The whole trek took them 2.5 hours to hike the 6.5 miles across the lake. They even suggested that this should be on everyone’s bucket list.
What a fun, unique activities! Perhaps, we should consider making such a trek an annual community event, perhaps even both a fun-walk and a race. Can we do it safely? What do you think?
Take note that with warmer conditions in the forecast, the ice will soon be too unsafe for such activities, so be careful. If we get the right weather and wind conditions, we’ll have some spectacular ice floes that will create some spectacular formations on the shoreline. Stay tuned!
Photo Credit: Beverley Bristow