I am making the official call for this year's Canoe Lake ice out today,
Friday 29 April 2011.
Congratulations to one of the Grand Old Men of Canoe Lake, Don Lloyd for being the first to pick the correct date. And kudos also to Gavin Bee, Sarah Matthews, Simon Nelson, Trevor Hammer, and Anthony Cher.
I'll have a little more detail and some photos to post later this weekend.
I am waiting for updates from The Friends of Algonquin and Algonquin Outfitters, as well as a couple of people who are headed up to Canoe Lake today -- but it looks like we are very close to ice-out. If it does not go today (Don Lloyd, Gavin Bee, Sarah Matthews, Simon Nelson, Trevor Hammer, Anthony Cheron) then I think it will probably go tomorrow (John & Timea Cameron, David Sullivan, Gary Sidell, Lee Eccleston).
Not a record, but the latest date we've seen since 1997 when the ice hung on until May 8th.
I just received this great report from Holly Stewart, who was on Canoe Lake over the Easter weekend:
"Roy and I were up over the Easter weekend and did see some progress of the ice getting more and more rotten. It didn't help to have below freezing temperatures each night though. Also there had been a big snowstorm with an accumulation of at least 6" of new snow on last Wednesday. Enough to insulate the ice.
At the north end of Canoe Lake the ice is out of Wigwam Bay and out from the Ahmek waterfront up to 30 yards. Ghostwalk Creek was not all out though.
In the south we were seeing the ice pull away from the shore up to about 20 feet in places. When we left yesterday the Portage Store bay was still mostly ice covered, although pulling away around the docks and beach.
Bonita was still ice covered yesterday but the river between it and Canoe was open to McMurchie's. All over the lake the ice was going quite grey.
With the heavy rain the next couple of days and warmer temperatures I think it will be out for the weekend. By then Huntsville would have been out for two weeks!"
Canoe Lake ice - Monday, April 25th, 2011. Photo by Roy & Holly Stewart
Roy & Holly Stewart sent along this great photo of David Statten and his pal Wam a couple of weeks ago. Looks like a perfect way to get around the lake in spring!
David Statten and Wam getting around on Canoe Lake - Friday, April 8th, 2011. Photo by Roy Stewart
A couple of weeks ago it was looking like a May ice out for sure. But despite the comment in today's post over on the Algonquin Outfitters blog that "Canoe Lake looks as though it might open by June!", I am starting to hear reports that things are starting to get soft. And the forecast is showing a lot of rain this week, with sun and a little wind on the weekend.
Unlike some, I really don't think the ice will be going out in the next few days, but whether things will be open on the weekend (and the 1st of May on Sunday) is a tougher call. Personally, I think it's at least even odds that it will not.
We shall see.
Meanwhile, head on over to the Algonquin Outfitters blog for some excellent ice photos taken earlier today.
I think it's time to stop taking dates - it's pretty clear that we're looking at a late April ice-out at best, and I don't think it would be fair to those who picked dates as early as January (and one in October!).
So, we go into the last weeks of winter in Algonquin with 157 votes - a record (by 2, over 2008). Almost 50% of people think the ice will go out during the week of April 19-25; and the most popular date, by far, is April 22nd.
I heard from some folk up on the river between Canoe and Tea lake that there is a lot of ice on the lakes - I think they said 20", but that seems hard to believe. On the other hand, it snowed briefly in Mississauga yesterday, and the last patch of winter snow left our front Garden in Toronto on Monday.
Wouldn't it be something if, after a record early ice out last year, we had a record late date this year? That would mean May 9th, or later.
We shall see :-)
