Maybe because there was a foot of snow on the ice to drag thru. It melted and refrozen last night. Be even better in the morning.
Printable View
Saftey first. Some saftey issues have been discused but there are a few more that are of upmost importance.
1. Always wear a pair of ice picks around your neck. These are used to pull yourself back on top of the ice if you do break through. This is #1 saftey device for anyone on the ice.
2. Have a throw rope with a float. This will not sve you but will save your buddy or a stranger should they fall through.
3. Never assume the ice is safe everywhere on a lake. There are spring hole and areas that reflect heat such as rocks on shore that reflect sunlight and heat.
Areas near bridges are unsafe do to run off from ice met put on roads and such.
4. If you have any doubt do not go. It takes a long time to make safe ice and normaly it take time for thick ice to become unsafe. However heavy rain can and will break ice up as it float on top of the water and cracks creat smaller sections of floating ice. White ice is not as strong as clear ice. White ice is made from slush and will not hold the same weight as clear ice.
5. When it is below freezing cracking sounds is a good sign as it is making more ice and expanding. However when it is above freezing temperatures cracking means loosing ice and it it getting thinner.
We had about 2 inches of rain yesterday and some lakes have water levels that rose and the ice has major cracks in them. This can be very dangerous.