Bloomington, IN: Lake Griffy, Frozen

The same day I ventured to McCormick's Creek State Park to check out the frozen waterfall, I went to Lake Griffy (just a couple miles north of IU's campus) to play on the frozen ice.

I do not think the lake is frozen anymore, unfortunately, but perhaps it will get cold enough again this season to go out on it. Disclaimer and warnings: ice should be at least 6 inches thick to support a normal-sized human; don't do anything stupid or that makes you feel uncomfortable. I grew up on a lake that froze many winters (and I played on it for hours and hours) and I know how to get out if I fall through (watch this video for a good tutorial). My photos also make it look like I was further on the lake than I actually was. On the main side of Griffy, I was only about 5 feet (the equivalent of my height) from the shoreline, because I was pretty sure the ice was thinner here than on the boat launch side and I didn't want to go out any farther (remember: be comfortable). For instance, in the photo above, I am just one foot from shore, but it looks farther. We'll see later that someone went out ice fishing much farther out than I was standing, so the ice was thick enough to support that.

One of my favorite parts of the lake adventure was finding these frozen bubbles all along the shoreline.

 

 

Above and below is the ice fishing I mentioned earlier. Look closely at the photo above - there are three holes dug in the middle of the lake. The day before (when I discovered Griffy frozen) I saw the person sitting out here fishing, and I wanted to do check it out. A zoomed in picture shows the holes more below. I didn't risk walking out there!

The shot above was taken from the road heading over to the trail.

On the boat launch side of Griffy, I was joined by a family of ice skaters. This side felt much more solid (I could see at least 6 inches of ice even out in the middle of the lake, and it was probably closer to 8 near the shoreline) and someone had cleared an ice skating area earlier in the week. The family was playing frisbee on skates which looked fun and very hard, as well as skating around the entire area.

In some untouched areas, I found crystal snowflakes formed! They were huge (this is not a zoomed in photo). In the photo below, those leaves and even the snow are all under several inches of perfectly clear ice. That photo was taken underneath the floating boat launch ramp, where snow hadn't covered the ice. It was awesome to see.

If you get a chance when we've had several days of below-freezing weather, check out one or more of the lakes in town (as well as any waterfalls, of course) for some ice fun and just to see things frozen over. (Again, be smart with what you do on it.) I try to find ways to enjoy wintertime, since being cold is one of my least favorite things. Playing outside and hiking are some of my favorite things, though, so this was a good way to trick myself into enjoying an entirely too-cold day. Hope you enjoy, too.