20 Mar Ice Out on the Pond – Spring has Sprung in 2012
In the Lakes Region, locals generally mark the first true day of Spring as the official announcement of Ice-Out on Lake Winnipesaukee. The rest of the world probably uses March 20th as the date. Ice-Out is announced when the Mount Washington, the Largest Boat on Winnipesaukee, can safely travel between all the ports on its cruise tour. March 24th, 2010 holds the official record for the earliest Ice-Out in recorded history. With the recent streak of beautiful, seventy and eighty degree days, 2011 might have a chance to take the record.
On Steele Hill we rely on a slightly different metric. The fishing pond is our version of Lake Winnipesaukee. Frozen over into a fantastic outdoor skating experience during the winter months, when the pond ice finally breaks up we know Spring has sprung. By pure luck, and cosmic coincidence Steele Hill’s Ice-Out happened today on March 20th. Needless to say, with the sun shining and the water flowing we think this is going to be a fantastic Spring to visit the Hill. Rumors are that even Ralphy, the pond’s largest snapping turtle, is working his way out of the mud to help welcome the Spring season with the rest of the resident wildlife.