Category: Community Blog

Neither the British Columbia or Alberta holidays made much of an impact at the lake this year. Perhaps the new holiday just has not caught on yet, or word of the non-winter-like conditions kept visitors away but whatever it was, there were very few visitors to the lake for the first 2 weekends in February. Weird weather and winter conditions have impacted many of the activities normally enjoyed at the lake this time of year, both work and play…mostly play. Some of us hope to simply celebrate winter fun with our families a little later this winter and luckily, there are still enough days on the calendar to enjoy a family day weekend.

 

Throughout the fall and winter, there have been many stories about problem predators in nearby communities. Since early fall, critter sightings around Lac des Roches have been limited to otters and foxes however, prior to then, there were plenty of close encounters in our neighbourhoods with unfriendly wildlife and speculation that two wolves were residing in the hills north of Little Lac des Roches. In the last few months, residents have heard several sad stories of pets lost and nearly lost to aggressive cougars and our hearts go out to the families tragically affected by this uninvited wildlife.

 

Most of the metal roofs on structures around the lake have long since shed their winter snow and ice although there may be a few north-facing “valleys” not quite clear. Winter residents and daily walkers have not noticed any damage to vents or stays this year. Although winter may not be over, if the last snow fall was an indicator, the position of the sun this time of year has a tendency to melt the snow off the roofs rather quickly.

Once again, the Lac des Roches Resort on the little lake is playing host to out-of-area dive teams conducting training exercises under the lake ice. For several years, both Canadian Coast Guard and American Navy divers have taken advantage of the ice and hospitality they find so close to the 49^th parallel.  The temporary tent on the ice currently and during the week of January 26 houses the specialized equipment used by the divers and shelters the large hole cut in the ice for water access.  The exercises usually last one week and the divers have always welcomed visits and questions from the public who venture out on the ice for a closer look.  The Bridge Lake School children have practically adopted their annual visit to the dive site as part of their normal winter curriculum.

 

Several car loads of enthusiasts ventured out in the one of the worst days this winter to conduct the Bridge Lake area Christmas Bird Count. Stormy winter conditions on January 5 grounded a lot of birds which preferred the protection of their hide-aways.  Despite the weather, the group recorded 14 species including; a Great Grey Owl; woodpeckers; nuthatches; creepers and chickadees which included 4 Boreal chickadees which have been wintering at a Lac des Roches feeder.

 

As of today, skiing conditions on the west half of the big lake are excellent.  Despite the center of the lake being dotted with bare patches of sheer ice, there are several inches of dry snow all around the protected edges, perfect for setting one’s owns tracks. Tonight’s winds will likely remove all trace of today’s journey, but with a layer of powder snow on top of solid ice, conditions are perfect for making more tracks. Let’s hope the forecasted high temperatures hold off for at least a few more days of skiing!

Several nights of -6 Celcius have proven to be enough cold weather to freeze the deep layer of slush on the west half of Lac des Roches. As of today, January 14, several auger holes show 6 to 8 inches of soft ice.  Soft ice results from frozen slush as opposed to hard ice which is formed when the water freezes. The west end of the lake is almost entirely frozen slush. With only traces of thin snow drifts, the ice surface is extremely slippery. It has supported sleds and walkers and will no doubt, soon be dotted with ice fishing holes at some of the more popular Burbot fishing shoals as word travels to fishers of the ice depth. As a reminder of the thin ice incidents earlier this winter, 3 log poles stand frozen in the ice along the Boultbee Road shoreline, marking the locations where 2 snowmobiles and one atv were pulled from the frigid water. Ice travel and fishing on both the east end of Lac des Roches and Little Lac des Roches is reported to be safe as the ice has been on for some time. As always, please be careful on the ice.

Much needed snow finally came to our area early in the month over a couple of days. Unfortunately, it was closely followed by warm temperatures which brought rain. So, while our fields are smothered with a wonderful thick layer of white snow, its surface is covered with a thin layer of hard crusty ice. Walking and snowshoeing is tough going in these snow conditions and nearly impossible for most animals, domestic or wild. Several residents have been out in the surrounding forest, breaking down the trails with snowshoes and sleds. One pass with a sled or two passes with snow shoes make most trails passable – although somewhat challenging – for walkers and dogs. Sledders report good conditions on the trails in the hills around Lac des Roches although more snow is needed on the cut blocks for advanced play. Most lakes have slush on the ice from the heavy snowfall and mild temperatures. Logging traffic is still active in the entire area.

Several families from Boultbee Road and McCarthy Road took advantage of the fantastic skating rink created by our good neighbours living near Access #7.  Despite poor conditions on the big lake during the holidays, the ice at the protected west end of the big lake was excellent. The generous residents spent hours ploughing and shovelling the new snow and frost from the ice surface to provide hours of skating and hockey fun for their family and the entire neighbourhood. Heavy snowfall, rain and mild temperatures in very early January converted the ice rink into a slush puddle almost a foot deep – much like the rest of the west end of the lake. By that time, most of the holiday visitors – and grandchildren – had left with their fill of pond skating thanks to our kind neighbours!  Thank you again!

Although the numbers dwindle drastically during the colder months, the ladies of Boultbee Road continue to keep active, physically and socially, throughout the winter. Several ladies continue to walk the length of the road every day. Their “walking pool” style of organized activity allows anyone to join the group at any point of the road and drop off the walk in the same manner. Some of the casual “rules” for the walk are relaxed during the winter when there is less traffic, distractions and participants. For instance, dogs are normally discouraged for the simple reason that they are an uneccessary distraction but when there are only two or three walkers, well-behaved dogs with their humorous antics, are a welcome addition to the group, not to mention a safety benefit when there have been recent cougar and wolf sightings. The walkers send a big thank you out to Interior Roads for the early plowing and sanding enjoyed after the big snow fall earlier this month and a big thumbs up to Mother Nature for providing such great weather conditions. The Boultbee ladies don’t look too hard for a reason to get together for some laughs over tea and goodies. On January 10, the five remaining ladies on the road enjoyed coffee and cake at Marg’s house as a send off for a couple of neighbours leaving for a short while. A visit or return by one or two ladies of the road will be all the reason the group needs to get together again for more laughs.