Had a good week to 10 days of below freezing temperature, usually only getting into the 20s and getting close or below zero at night.  The big pond froze a good 5 inches thick, I tested it in multiple places with a hole saw.  The boys got their hockey skates, sticks and puck and gave it a whirl.  Not so much as a creaking noise from the ice.

I took the opportunity to get out onto the island and clear out all the overgrowth.

At the end of the video below me and Patrick take the UTV for a spin over the shallow part of the pond, again not even a crack in the ice when we drove over.

Even in below zero temps this must be a warm spring upwelling into one of the small ponds in the bottom area.

Patrick helping clear the underbrush

Temperature dropped to 7 below zero that night.