Fawn Lake: Gliding happily along on icy November adventure
It was the first week of November in 1978 and it seemed that overnight everything around me had skimmed over in a layer of thin ice.
Though it was quite cold outside, my dog Mutt and I had decided to take a short hike to Fawn Lake.
We hiked along the road to the old bridge where the creek began, noting that the little ponds and mud puddles along the way were wearing a shimmery coating. We carefully jumped from rock to rock along the outlet to the creek that flowed into Limekiln Lake.
I stopped at a frozen puddle that resembled a mini Ice skating pond.
I knelt down beside it and with a small stone began to chop a hole in its surface.
I found the ice to be thicker than anticipated, and before long Mutt came to my aid.
She vigorously clawed away at the hole until the entire surface pulled away from the puddle’s edges.
I tried to push the frozen mass away but it cracked into several large chunks.
I chucked the flat pieces Frisbee-style down the road so Mutt could scamper after them and retrieve each one.
Leaving the puddle destruction behind, we continued on to the bridge which was also covered in a thin sheet of ice.
It seemed the perfect opportunity to practice my skating skills.
I got a good running start and glided smoothly along the surface of the old worn bridge.
Unfortunately I was tripped up by a knot in one of the boards and fell face-first onto the frozen platform.
Aside from a skinned chin and cheek, I was relatively unscathed in the accident.
I rolled over on my side to find Mutt standing there wagging her tail.
She sat right down next to me as if she knew I was hurt and could assist me in some way.
I gave her snout a scratch to reassure her that I was okay. Then we just sat there on the bridge, looking up Fawn Creek at all the rocks in icy coats.
Mitch Lee, Adirondack native & storyteller, lives at Big Moose Lake.ltmitch3rdny@aol.com
