Overnight the wind died down, and at last all the water was covered with a thin sheet of ice. Now we wait for more cold weather...and then snow!
Friday, December 30, 2011
December 28
Most of the lake froze over on the night of December 24th, then was buried in the first real snow of the season. One large hole in the ice remained. Strong south winds on the 26th made the hole bigger. Strong north winds on the 27th kept new ice from forming. This photo was taken on the morning of the 28th of December....mist rising from the waves on the open water as the north wind continues to blow.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Winter at Kukagami
Best of the season to you from Kukagami!
The lake mostly froze on the morning of December 24th, then the first real snow of the year came that night...effectively insulating the new ice so it can't get thick enough to be safe. Warm weather again on the 27th was melting the snow, then plunging temperatures and more new snow came that night!
Still, we have been out skating and skiing, and in the mushy snow of the 27th I had a great walk across the old ice and along the ridge on the other side of the lake. Whoo hoo! I do love winter! It started snowing heavily, so I could not tell if the main part of the lake had frozen. Thus, I hiked the 3 km again on the 28th to have a look. There, rising with the north wind I saw water and waves in the distance! I wasn't too surprised by this, because that's the area nearest where we used to live, and it has always been the last bit to freeze. Look for an update here in the next day or two.
We have been intensely working on winterising our old camp, and not doing much else. We are now rewarding ourselves over the holidays by taking a week off 'work'. I'm trying to catch up on the mail and the website! Take a peek here now and then to see what's happening at the lake. Also, I will be writing a new series of articles for the local paper in the new year, and these will be posted on the website.
We would still love to hear from you and what's keeping you busy. And if you find a great little lodge in the wilderness ... let us know! We'll be looking for places to ski this winter.
We'd love to hear what's new at your house.
Viki et Al and Kate and sometimes Vesta
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Summer Update
It has been a very long time since I've done an update.... As with many 'retired' people, we find we are busier than ever.
We moved over to the camp at the end of May...which stretched out through the first week in June as the new owners didn't come out to get the keys until June 4th. Thankfully, they have allowed us use of the shed at the lodge until we build the garage, as there is no storage space here. We also have things stored in the sauna here and in a tent-shed at Mary's camp. We have only a vague idea of where anything is. But, being summer, it's not too difficult to get by.
Our first big project is building a small pottery studio for me! We designed it with a second story that will be a library. There will be a sofa-bed in it to allow guest space. It is tucked nicely into the forest, yet still has a stunning view of the lake. I am very excited to have this space....which I might actually get to use by next spring because it will probably end up being storage space until we get the house winterized. That is our next priority! Winter is coming!
Do we miss the lodge? Not really. As you know, we talked about selling the lodge for the past few years. This was a slow letting go of our life there. The fact that we have this beautiful spot on the western shore of Kukagami Lake more than makes up for what we left behind at the south end. As I gaze out at our view here, I'm already looking forward to many winter snowshoe hikes along the ridges!
The view we wake to each morning is the lake just a few meters away, and marvellous sunrises! I've always loved 'morning campsites' when we are canoeing. I feel that joy every day now. This summer has given us marvellous weather. I'm swimming before breakfast very day. The water is just as wonderful here as it is at the lodge. There are lots of neighbours though...and Allan has to watch out for motor boats when he takes his long swims in the afternoon. We are getting used to the rise in activity all around us. And we rest assured that life at the lake will become quiet again when the summer is over.
We do take a few days away from building each month for a little get-away, and went to Killarney in June. We paddled around George Island and camped on the western shore. Then spend a day paddling around Badgley point. We hiked to the Crack on our way home. Having never been there before, we were amazed at the views! It was especially nice to see out over the bay to where we have paddled for many years.
Kate was at her summer camp for 3 weeks in July. We spent a couple of days in Algonquin Park just before we picked her up in Sundridge last month. Allan had never been in the Hwy 60 corridor before, and was keen to see the logging museum. Pretty as Algonquin is, we were glad to be back to our clear, cool Kukagami Lake.
In Early August we spent 5 days at Camp Manitou on the north shore of Lake Huron. Vesta came home from Ottawa to join us there, so it was a wonderful family time together...with someone else doing the cooking! I took a mini workshop on Acrylic painting, and found it very interesting. Could be a part of my future!
Mid-August found us off to do some canoeing. Leaving from home, paddling back home again ... to familiar places. In August! We used to have to work on these glorious summer days! We were out for a week, and it was wonderful.
Kate will be going to LoEllen Secondary school come September. I think she's looking forward to it? She will be taking the bus, so she will be able to go to school every day. It is the 2 hour bus ride that makes me uncomfortable. What kind of life is it for a kid to have that long a commute every day? She leaves here at 6:10 and gets home after 5. Yuck.
Vesta is living in Ottawa. She skied with x/c Ottawa last year, all over Canada! But mostly in the Gatineau's. She's having a great life, but still hoping to find a real job soon. Working retail part-time gives her lots of time, but she would really like to find a job in research or perhaps at a conservation area, or just about anything that will let her use her geography degree. Any suggestions and referrals would be very welcome!
We are looking forward to a long extension of this glorious summer... there is so much more we need to do! Would love to hear form you!
Viki et Al and Kate
Here's our contact info...not much changed from before....
Allan, Viki and Kate Mather
426 Fox Road
Wahnapitae, ON
P0M 3C0
705-853-1571
kukagami@gmail.com
Monday, July 25, 2011
Pottery Show
Greetings all!
For the past two years I have been a member of the Sudbury Potters Guild. A show of our best work will be at Artists on Elgin for the month of August. Here is an invitation to the opening reception, which will be this coming Thursday at the gallery from 5 to 7:30. Hope to see you there!
Viki
Monday, July 11, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Wolf Lake needs you!
For the past 20 some years, I have been working to protect a bit of wilderness not far from here. The Wolf Lake area is host to the largest area of Old Growth Red Pine anywhere. It is located along the Chiniguchi River, and in 1999 was designated as a Forest Reserve (FR). This allowed mining exploration to continue until the claims and leases naturally lapsed, while protecting the land from other commercial exploitation.
The Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forests has never been happy with the FR designation, and for the past several years has lobbied the Ministry of Natural Resources to remove the FR protection. And they have prevented the natural lapsing of claims. Now the plan for taking much of the Forest Reserve away has been posted for public comment. You can read a summary of the proposal at www.kewatch.blogspot.com .
Even if you don't have time to read the background, I'd really appreciate it if you could send a quick email to scott.dingwall@ontario.ca with this simple request: Wolf Lake and the rest of the Chiniguchi River system need to be protected. I object to the removal of the Forest Reserve, and urge the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forests to stop interfering with the lapsing of claims. A more thorough public review of the protection and boundaries needs to be conducted.
Put EBR 010-7775 in the Subject line.
Send a blind carbon copy to me if you could. Thank you!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Ice is Out!
This photo was taken at 3:30 this afternoon. This is the last of the ice on Kukagami for the spring of 2011. A new season has begun!
May 4 morning
A chunk of ice drifted to shore. About a kilometer away, you can see just a hint of the pale grey line of ice. It separates the forest from its reflection in the lake.
Maybe the ice will be gone today!
Monday, May 2, 2011
May 2, 2011
Yahoo! Strong winds on May first moved the ice! On the morning of May second, pans of ice float amidst reflections in the water.
April 30, 2011
Just enough water around the dock and shore to launch the Kayak! This ice was soft enough to paddle right through to the far shore.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Ready to Paddle!
The ice nearby is soft enough to paddle through, but I can still only travel along the edge for about half a kilometer....should be more tomorrow!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
From Ice to Land
Ice to Water
Who would think that just a week ago there was 5 inches of snow on the ground? It's not the first time we've skied on April 20th! A few days of warm weather put that to an end, and I started picking daffodils from the greenhouse.
Last weekend I crossed the ice for the last time this spring. There was a foot of ice, melting from both top and bottom. That was down from 2 feet of ice the week before.
With the nearest road at least 6 km away, crossing the lake is how we travel (once the snow has gone from our winter trails). The big question every spring is – When will it be unsafe to cross? Should we stock up on groceries this week or next?
The morning of the "last safe crossing" was April 24th. We took a little stroll on the ice before breakfast. The overnight temperature of minus 3 C provided a rock-hard surface on the ice. Allan and I wandered for an hour or more here and there, poking the ski pole through cracks and measuring the thickness of the ice. There was a minimum of 12 inches, and a max of 15. Lots of ice!
That evening we went for another walk – but a short one. The sunny day had softened the ice. And thinned it a bit. We didn't walk side by side as we had in the morning. The ice creaked with every step in some places. We tried to avoid those places. Mostly it was the darker ice that made noise when we stepped there. Allan poked a hole and found 9 inches of ice, "candled" all the way through. He pulled up some of the long, thin crystals of ice with the basket of the ski pole. We gingerly found our way back to land at a spot where the ice still held strong, right beside the bedrock of home. That last step onto land was a comforting one.
The shoreline that catches the afternoon sun has been steadily melting away for more than a couple of weeks now. By the time we took that last step off the shaded ice on April 24th, there was 10 feet of water showing around the island out front. The north-eastern shore also had a ribbon of water along the shallows there. By the end of April I'll be canoeing along that strip of water between ice and shore. Hard to believe! Skiing on April 20, canoeing by the 30th.
This is the miracle of life in the north. The change of season form winter to summer is so very dramatic. I am anxious to get out in the canoe, and yet, I'm sorry to see the ice go. There is such freedom in being able to just step onto the lake and go anywhere, everywhere. I'll miss it.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Bicycling Anyone?
Every few years the lake conditions in April are just right for biking...and this year is it! Cold nights and warm days make for hard ice that is rough enough for good traction. For a couple of hours each morning the bicycling is great! AND there are no hills! Just be sure you aren't too far from home in the late morning when the ice surface starts to soften. You don't want to pedal through an inch of slush.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunrise January 21 2011
Winter has arrived....REAL winter this year! With normal January temperatures and snow!
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