PUT-IN-BAY, Ohio — There’s an expression about walking on thin ice. But what about the thick ice coating Lake Erie right now? Rachel D'Alessandro sees an invitation.
“The lake is pretty frozen right now,” she told News 5. “It’s about 12 inches thick of ice.”
So why not drive on it?
D'Alessandro spent the weekend on the lake. Not in a boat, but on a snowmobile. She met up with a group of adventure-seekers taking full advantage of this bitterly cold winter. She’s called Put-In-Bay home for four years.
“This is the first time that I’ve been able to experience the ice this thick,” she said.
The North Olmsted native was eager to see our lake from a whole new perspective.
“When we were driving back, I was looking around, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve been kayaking out here in the summer, and now I’m driving on it.’”
She met up with a group who organized on social media. They share when and where to meet. Anyone who needs a ride can hop onto someone else’s. Those rides included ATVs, Side-by-Sides, and snowmobiles. On Saturday, the group glided over to Middle Bass Island for lunch.
“Between the islands, it’s pretty shallow, so it freezes really thick,” D'Alessandro said.
She doesn’t take safety for granted. She said she’s never the first one out there. She comes prepared, too.
“A lot of us will wear these ice picks that we wear around our necks,” she said. “If you fall in, those picks will help you get yourself up out of the ice.”
It also helps when you’re with the right people.
“A lot of the people that come with us are actually EMS and firefighters, so I do feel a little bit better about that.”
D'Alessandro said one woman in their group measured that 12-inch thickness while ice fishing. Power of 5 Meteorologist Allan Nosoff explained that there’s plenty of ice for the job.
"ATVs can be going at about six inches, and once we get to a foot of ice thickness, we can actually have cars driving on it,” he reported Monday.
But ice thickness isn’t the only thing to consider.
“It’s really a matter of how consistent that ice is,” Nosoff said.
This group stuck to a path marked by those brave enough to go out first and light the way.
“They use old Christmas trees,” D'Alessandro said. “It’s like a Christmas tree highway.”
After her snowmobile adventure on Saturday, she heard from a friend who found a great spot about a mile off the island.
“She grabbed me, I grabbed my skates, and we went out there for sunset, and it was unbelievable.”
Then, one more invitation she couldn’t turn down: An ice party.
“We brought some drinks, we met right by the boardwalk,” she said. “There was a bonfire, we had hot dogs, we made soup, there was drinks, snacks. We literally had a cookout on the ice.”
And she means it. The bonfire was on the ice.
“It gets a little slushy around it,” she said. But it all worked out.
“It was a pretty big fire, but it honestly was just fine the whole time we were out there, and we were out there for four or five hours.”
D'Alessandro said she’s loved her experiences on the ice so far. She knows they were successful because of the people around her.
“I definitely wouldn’t suggest going out by yourself, ever,” she said.
She’s not done trying new experiences on ice either. Next up: Ice fishing!
“I definitely see myself at least trying it out this winter.”
We’ll give you one more reminder: safety first anytime you’re considering testing the ice. D'Alessandro said the people in her group have lived on the island for many years and have experience with a lot of types of ice.
