Ice Floes Early On The River
 | Author:
Dee Gannon
MT43 News Correspondent |
Ice Floes Early on the River Dee Gannon Avid outdoorsmen and curious onlookers have been watching the river by the trestle the last few days, waiting for the ice to break and the river to resume flowing.
Dann Clason, one of those curious outdoorsmen, has been parked by the river to wait and watch. “This is the earliest I’ve seen it move; all the rain and warm temperatures have a lot to do with it. It’s at least 6 weeks early. In 2021, it broke on March 2. I know, I was there.”
To see and hear Mother Nature in this way is amazing. The ever-changing ice flow; huge chunks of ice coming down the river, banging into the already stopped ice dam, standing up on end as if building a house of cards. Hundreds of pounds of ice, with hundreds (if not thousands) of pounds of pressure pushing these ice "islands" down the river. The sound it makes when those chunks hit the ice dam is like a hundred cars crashing into one another. Watch long enough, and you will see chunks disappear under the dam. If you are there at the right time, you can see that same chunk reappear on the other end.
Wildlife is there to take part. Whistler ducks are on the river, seemingly playing tag with the chunks.
As of January 16, 2 pm, the side channel is wide open, but with cooler temps at night, that could change. Those huge blocks come down and stuff it right up again. Which is exactly what is happening at the trestle. The water seeps up through the ice, weakening it; the river runs again. Then, as soon as it slows, ice builds back up. There may be more than one ice out this year; after all, it is only mid-January. The warmer temps we have been enjoying are probably going to change in Febrrrrrrary (sic).
If you haven’t had a chance, head on down to the river and see what’s up. If you are lucky, you’ll get to enjoy a side of Mother Nature only visible for a short time.
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PhotoCredit: Dee Gannon
Image 1 Caption: Ice flowing toward an ice dam (Photo by Dee Gannon)
Image 2 Caption: Ice dam forming (Photo by Dee Gannon)
