Freeze up 2022 is well under way but I sit staring out the window while still looking at small pools and holes of open water. They say a watched pot never boils-can the same be said about open water on a lake? Will it freeze if I just keep staring?
In case you are new to the Temagami Outdoors family it is probably important to note that we live on an island on Lake Temagami full time, even through freeze up and break up! It is an exciting way to live but we are so reliant on mother nature and her mood swings which can
sometimes be frustrating and also terrifying. This year mother nature had some tricks up her sleeve! The ice in the hub of the lake came in HARD and FAST. No one was expecting to wake up to 3 inches of ice which means a lot of us were scrambling to get our boats out, winterize motors and pull docks.
Now the thing is, I (Dom) have a healthy fear of ice and I can't help but ask myself "Why would you choose to live on island if ice scares you" and truthfully I don't have an answer. It's worth the fear I suppose. Anyways I digress-Rielly is the ice lover of the two of us. Much like a child poking away at the coals of a campfire, as soon as there is ice you bet Rielly will be out there stabbing it and throwing rocks. SO OF COURSE as soon as the lake snapped over he was out there taking tentative little penguin steps clutching his spud and tap. tap. tapping his way across to the landing.
There is a strong overlap in whether someone is being brave/courageous or just plain stupid. I like to think Rielly embodies both of these things but he would say that the end result is truly what determines whether it was brave or stupid. ANYWAYS the hub is currently sitting frozen, snapped over, knitted up whatever you want to call it. The Bear Island boat is still crashing its way through ice to get to the main land multiple times of day but for now we are running our snowmobiles while we hang tight!
We often get the question "What do you do in this transition time?". The answer isn't very exciting, in fact the answer is simply "not much". Working seasonally can take quite a physical toll because working for 6 months straight without much down time is pretty demanding. By the time our shoulder season rolls around we are playing a major game of catch up. I am catching up on administrative duties, getting my house back in order and making sure of all the t's are crossed and i's are dotted. Rielly tends to putter around fixing things, cleaning things and prepping for winter.
This year is a tad different because we are focusing our energy on something big and exciting. It has been nice to have something to do but it's also made it difficult to enjoy the upcoming holidays. The hard work will be worth it, that I am sure of but sometimes I need to remind myself that the point of living in this paradise is to enjoy it. Snowy dog walks, campfires, star watching and ice fishing are things that bring me joy in the winter time. And speaking of ice fishing.... Rielly and I went out and found some first ice on back wood brook trout lake last week! But thats a story for another time!
In the mean time stay safe and don't forget to get outdoors!
Dominique