Over the past week, Mendenhall Lake was covered in thick ice as a result of colder and drier air from Canada.
Nordic skiers, climbers, and hikers were eager to see the glacier close-up after a warm and wet winter.
Many were looking to Brian Weed ahead of the sunny weekend at Juneau.
span style=”font weight: 400 People ask me if I have drilled it. He asked.
Weed is a Juneau resident and administrator of Juneau’s Hidden History Facebook page. He measures the lake’s ice thickness each year in order to assist people making safe decisions. After a busy weekend, Weed set out to explore the lake’s eastern shoreline on Monday.
Weed observed many people going out of their comfort zones. He stated that he sees many people break the most important rule.
span style=”font weight: 400 I can’t count how many people have walked up to the glacier’s face to touch it. He said that they were probably on less than two inches of rotten-ice.
According to the National Weather Service, people should keep at least 300 yards from the glacier. The glacier’s terminus is prone to melting, so it is important to keep a safe distance.
Weed stated that it takes only one little chunk of glacier to turn the entire area in front of the glacier to water.
NWS posted a reminder via Twitter and Facebook about the ice thickness standards going into the weekend. They recommend 4 inches for ice fishing, walking and 5 inches for small groups of ice skaters. 6 inches supports snowmachines.
The NWS doesn’t monitor ice conditions. Greg Spann, a meteorologist, stated that the lake’s ice thickness varies widely. This makes it difficult to make sound judgments.
Spann stated that it is possible to have patches with thin ice and others that are not. “And you do not want to be that person who finds the thin patch .”
Spann stated that the normal freeze-thaw cycles pose a challenge to ice safety. Although the Mendenhall Lake ice is still relatively new, meteorologists anticipate that it will freeze and thaw multiple times this winter. This will result in weak spots and cracks across the lake.
There are some extremely dangerous places to avoid if you venture out onto the ice. The ice can thin around Nugget Falls, as well as around creek mouths and rivers.
Avoid icebergs. They can be found in open water and are susceptible to breaking up the ice.
Spann stressed that the dangers of venturing onto the ice are always present.
He stated that the first rule for ice safety was that it is very difficult to be completely safe on ice.
