Stomping on thick ice

The ice in Georgian Bay is nearly a metre thick. Looking out from Collingwood, we could see only ice to the horizon: no open water at all. Avoiding a five-foot deep crevasse, I strolled confidently onto the ice, helped by new cleats on my boots, and was thrilled to see these caves. They were formed by the waves crashing on the rocks and freezing. The light in them is amazing. Stiletto sharp icicles hang from the jagged cavern roofs, and the colours range from brilliant white, through green, to deep blue. I could stand up in a couple of them, and there was even an ice bridge joining some together.

Further west, off Owen Sound, the ice extends from the harbour out past Drummond Island. Long-time residents say it hasn't reached this far in nearly twenty years. It's been a good winter for ice fishing: we counted nearly a dozen fishing huts on the ice in the harbour. And snowmobilers are having a blast up charging up and down the snow piled high by the ploughs everywhere.