Yesterday: Pout Pond, Lyme, NH

[David Lysy]

Skated Pout Pond in Lyme yesterday for about 4 hours from 10am-2pm.  40 acres, 1,250' elevation, long east/west orientation with nooks and crannies, and island, and some marshy areas along the eastern end of the pond.  20 minute hike through the woods to get there from my house.  The land is conserved land through the Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT).  Zero development.  The Ridge Trail for the AT to Smarts Mt. forms the eastern horizon line with the summit of Smarts visible from certain parts of the pond. 

Fantastic S2 grey snow ice, albeit thin skating (1 poke by my arm, maybe 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 inches).   Lots of drain holes with thinner S1 black ice sealing the holes; the black ice consisted of very large crystals (6"+).  Quiet early, but the ice became more and more active as the day progressed.  Lots of noise and cracking by the end.  Obvious hydrolyzing and eventually moving toward candled in the sun by mid-afternoon; other aspects of the pond along its full length were in the shade and stayed colder/denser.

Not beginner terrain with significant hazards, but very doable with appropriate gear and training.  By 2pm the ice was starting to break down for real; it could still support my weight, but I decided it was time to step off.  Be extremely wary of candled ice in thaw as it can end badly -- http://lakeice.squarespace.com/candled-ice/

Much as others experienced, I found lots of drain holes that looked like giant turkeys had been stepping all over the pond.  Appropriate for Thanksgiving.  Photos attached. 

Last night we received a couple of inches of wet/heavy snow, but it'll be warming up today.  Hoping for melting and resurfacing this week.  Looking forward to getting out for more ice further away from home next weekend.

Cheers,

david

PS:  Note that parking for Pout Pond is a problem in winter as the normal summer parking is along the side of this dirt dead end residential street.  Parking on the street isn't allowed in winter due to plowing.  More on Pout Pond:  https://uvlt.org/2014/04/place-peace-quiet-pout-pond/

[David Lysy]