LADY EVELYN LAKE

2008 ICE CUTTING PHOTO GALLERY!

We've often thought we should be featured on "How's It Made", when it comes to supplying you with your ice cubes. Ok. ice chunks!

Before you sit by the dockside to enjoy your beverage on ice, there is a procedure that takes place behind the scenes. We've had so many ask about the ice, we thought this year we would feature it in our 2008 Ice Cutting Gallery for you.

Keep in mind that Lady Evelyn Lake can be very unsafe. Until the dam closes at the end of February, the lake out front of Camp does not freeze. We have fought slush, sleet, freezing rain, wind, white out blizzards and open water in order to fill the ice house each year. This year, it was fairly uneventful with the exception of an overnight rain that threatened to chase us out in the wee hours of the morning, however, an hour later rain turned to snow and the temperatures dropped. All was good again.

This year, we had some new recruits, Hound and Dennis, although they claim they will be back next year to help, that remains to be seen. It seems to us, it's easier getting first timers than returnees. Hound & Dennis did all our hauling for us.

Senior Advisor and Resident Ice Saw operator is Jeff Seed. While most of his days are spent on his local beef farm, we do manage to pull him away year after year to do his ice cutting duties.

Gerry & Jeff (the chief stackers) are still walking hunched over after spending their whole day unloading and packing the ice.

Brandon & Kyle spud and loaded the entire field of blocks and then hauled many of them.

Joshua & Jason filled in where necessary and kept everyone in line. While Jane, Carolyn, Mallory, Val, Hannah, Marian & Eric-Kasper were there strictly to play, they somehow got rooked into preparing the meals.

Everyone says "we'll be back next year for the same abuse", we'll see!

It all starts with several "victims" to shovel off the ice field. After that is done, the "ice cutter" gears up and starts cutting 400 blocks of 12x12 lake blocks

Sometimes when the ice saw freezes up, alternate measures are taken.

Each block is spud & hauled out of the field and loaded onto the ice sleds.

Once the ice is loaded on the sleighs, they are taken and dropped off at the Icehouse and loaded one block at a time with100 blocks to a row.

On top of each row garbage cans of snow are spread to insulate the blocks and keep the blocks from sticking together

There's always one in the crowd!  Apparently it gets quite warm in the ice house.

When we're finished it is necessary to flood the field in order to avoid any injuries to unsuspecting snowmobilers. If a wet cut happens, it floods as we're trying to spud and overnight will freeze, unless we happen to get an all night rain like we did this year.

Some of us tend to play more than work, while others try to make themselves look busy.