A man has to experience a good crack…
Hung About by Icicles
Last Saturday was the coldest night of my snowkiting and camping trip on Lake Nipissing. The temperatures dropped below -31C/-24F and what an experience it was! Aside from trying to keep warm, it was the ice underneath me that kept me awake for most of the night.
The ice literally turned into a wild animal roaring and bucking under the tension of the huge temperature difference. Massive cracks kept thundering down the ice just like giant snakes. The noise was simply amazing. Knowing that there were 15 inches of solid ice underneath my tent certainly helped me to remain calm and to actually enjoy the music of nature. Only when the cracks decided to travel like a roar of thunder very close to my tent, I questioned the foundations of my residence. It happened only twice during the whole night but it was so intense that my heart skipped a beat or two.
In the morning I found a few cracks around my tent that were about 2 inches wide. The water sloshed all the way up to the snow and then refroze again.
I conclude: A man has to experience a good crack to appreciate the forces of nature! 🙂
