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Here's why you should be careful exploring ice caves along Lake Superior (2 photos)

'You can't just go walking on the ice,' says experienced ice cavern guide

Steve Zalewski was out for a walk with his dog Opie and a friend on the shores of Lake Superior a couple of days ago when he suddenly went through the ice in the Sawpit Bay area.

It’s a popular spot for people wanting to take photos of the ice caves - situated about 80 kilometres north of Sault Ste. Marie - but exploring that type of setting doesn’t come without some element of danger attached.

“The winter time is beautiful because of all the caves, and the way the ice freezes over,” said Zalewski. “But I didn’t expect to go in that close to the shore - I was pretty much on the trail where people go.”

Zalewski says he went in about waist deep.  

“As soon as I went in, I put my arms out and my elbows kind of caught the ice,” he said. “So I didn’t fall right through.”

“I was lucky.”

Zalewski knows the dangers attached to exploring the ice caves along Lake Superior in search of the perfect Instagram photo - he’s been doing this for roughly five years now - but he says that going through the ice over the weekend probably won’t deter him from going back.  

“The drop offs are literally right in front of you - it could be like 20 feet deep,” he told SooToday. “I was thinking that after, because we were pretty close.”

Exploring the ice caves around Sawpit Bay isn’t something you’ll see Ellen Van Laar doing anytime soon.

The artist and musician facilitates guided tours for people wishing to check out the ice caves near her house at Coppermine Point, about two kilometres north of Sawpit Bay - something she’s been doing for nearly two decades.

While some of her friends facilitate guided tours of the bay, Van Laar flat out refuses to do so, citing the unpredictability of that particular area.

“They’ve been going to Sawpit for years, but with global warming it’s been getting more dangerous, and also with the high water, because the high water creates different ice conditions than usual,” Van Laar said.

The guide says the ice is much more dangerous than it looks - underground springs, black rocks creating ‘warm pockets,’ pressure cracks, and higher water levels than usual all make for a potentially dangerous day in nature.

Van Laar recommends finding a guide who knows the area, but if one insists on searching for ice caves along the greatest of the Great Lakes, preparation is a must.

“You can’t just go walking out on the ice,” Van Laar said. “It’s good to have ropes and an ice pick, a phone if you need to call 9-1-1.”

“Snowshoes are wonderful, because they distribute your weight - but if you do go through the ice, they’ve got downfalls of their own, it’s harder to pull your foot out.”

It’s also not a bad idea to also have a plan in the event that someone falls through the ice.

“Chances are when you get them out of the water, they may be incapacitated as far as walking [goes],” said Van Laar. “If you leave them in their wet clothes and it freezes, you could be dead in an hour.”

“It’s very, very serious stuff.”

Van Laar says that ice conditions off of the coast of Lake Superior can change quickly due to the unpredictability of the water itself, and the uneven terrain beneath it.  

“It’s daunting,” she said. “Fishing boats with fish finders go nuts around here - it’ll be 100 feet, then it’ll be like five feet. It’s craziness.”

Meanwhile, Zalewski will continue to look for photography opportunities of the ice caves around Sawpit Bay, but with some extra caution after going through the ice.

“I’m definitely going to watch my step, that’s for sure,” he said.

The ice caves along the coast of Lake Superior were mentioned in the New York Times recently, with the publication ranking the area number 10 on its '52 Places to Go in 2019' list.  


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James Hopkin

About the Author: James Hopkin

James Hopkin is a reporter for SooToday in Sault Ste. Marie
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