Owner And Her Dogs Skate On Thin See-Through Ice

Skating is one of winter's great pleasures. On a crisp morning with the sun shining, heading to a nearby lake with your loyal dog companion is a great way to connect with nature, your pet, and to get a little exercise at the same time. The scenery provided by such a wonderful, natural setting can be breathtaking and it is a great opportunity to relieve stress, enjoy the fresh air and the outdoors.

Often, we need to shovel snow off a lake to enjoy the ice below. Hours of hard work are rewarded, but the space to skate is limited. The ice under a blanket of snow is usually pebbled and rough, and the snow covered lake lies in darkness beneath. It seems like a rare opportunity to find an entire lake wide open, frozen long enough that the ice is thick and safe, yet clear of any snowfall. The sun still easily shines through the water and provides a perfect view of everything below.

These lucky people in Sweden have trekked to a nearby lake in Jamtland, the north western region. The crisp crunching of the snow as they walk is a beautiful sound and it demonstrates just how cold the morning is. The sun is low and the golden glow just over the horizon shows that the day has just begun. These wise people have gotten up early to take advantage of this short opportunity.

The view we see when they first step on the lake gives us the feeling that we are standing on the water itself. It is very fortunate that they have a camera with them so we can also share this incredible experience. The ice is deceptively clear and being able to perfectly see the rocks on the bottom gives us the sensation of stepping onto polished glass. It appears as if we are standing on the unfrozen surface of the lake. It gets even better as they start to move and the camera takes us on a journey over the ice. We can see the logs and stones in the lake and it looks like that we would only need to reach down to be able to touch them.

Amazingly, fish swim under the ice and they appear to be within reach as well. Following the fish as they swim provides a view that would not normally be possible. You can only imagine what the fish are thinking too. Even the dogs seem as excited as the people to be out on this perfectly smooth surface.

While watching, it seems impossible that such clear ice could be thick enough to hold the people, but the ice is actually 15 cm, or 6 inches thick. This is more than what is required for skating safely. Such cold temperatures have frozen the water quickly and it will only be a matter of time before snow will fall and cover this ice. Conditions like these could only happen every few years in most places and most of us would not have an opportunity like this one!