ELY, MINN. – I stepped cautiously onto the newly frozen lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area. Devoid of snow, the water's gray, shimmering ice was nearly as smooth as a mirror.
Every few steps the ice emitted an ominous, eerie sound like a "Star Wars" blaster being fired underwater: Ka-TOONG!
Hearing ice crack underfoot is disconcerting.
"It looks good," said a longtime friend Steve Piragis of Ely, who hiked into this wilderness lake with me late last November for some early season ice fishing.
Frozen air bubbles were suspended in the ice, and cracks and fissures spread like spider webs. But we could see through the clear ice to know it was several inches thick, and our drill holes confirmed we had a solid 4 to 5 inches.
Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources recommends ice at least 4 inches thick for foot travel.
"We should have brought our ice skates," Piragis said.
While ice safety is always a concern, even in the dead of winter, early season outings require extra precautions. I carried ice picks to help pull myself out of a hole in case I fell through.