Soft Ice on Hastings lake !!!

[mercifulme]

Just a note to anyone venturing this way that there are several soft spots on the west end of the lake. I dont know if this is simply overflow on top of the ice or what but I dug down a good 8-10 inches over a long 80 foot stretch !! I held the grizz wide f*#ken open until i hit shoreline after that. We had heard from some sledders that the ice was good on the lakes and I figured it would be with the tempurature over the last month but I wont be venturing back out on the ice after this!!

 

[Scotty]

Thanks for the heads up! Always got to be careful this time of year.. probably water seeping up onto the ice under the snow cover like you said. Still freaks a guy out though!

 

[Hastings]

My husband and I rode on the lake yesterday and encountered 2 soft slushy areas on the North side, we gunned it to get through. What bothered me is that it was somewhat near the shoreline. One would think that sticking to the shoreline would be safest. We rode out in the centre of the lake and the integrity was good. In order to get home, we still chose to stay close to shoreline, but it was pretty freaky, as there is no way to know when one of those areas will sneak up on you.

 

[allseason]

Hastings has been famous for that for a couple years now not sure what it is,there is some big beaver dens on that side but could be a spring there,I've encountered that several times over the years there!

 

[Hastings]

I just read that the Cree name for the lake is akakakwatikh which means the lake that does not freeze. Probably due to the underground springs flowing into the lake in some areas.

 

[Summitric]

A quad will notice this way before a sled does....... The pounds per square inch that 4 tires put on the ice, verses a sled track with skiis........ And yes i know there are several freshwater springs that flow into the lake....... I suspect the lake is frozen, and that is water on top of the ice, but it's still freaky