NOT CRAZY how much ice varies on a larger lake.
You were on Slave Lake, and Slave Lake has natural gas that seeps through the Lake Bottom and keeps the water moving in the area of the gas pockets.
This has always been the problem on lakes like Slave, Orloff, etc since people started going on in the winter.
Pigeon used to have a bad gas seep as well. Since the Texaco Bonnyglen Gas plant took so much gas out of the area, the problem has mostly resolved.
I know of someone who dropped a rear wheel into such a gas pocket crossing from Cutbank to Big Grassy. His passenger hit the windshield head first.
Axle broke its spring, but they limped it off the ice.
Same thing, thick ice all around, thin ice where the natural gas bubbles up from the lake bottom.
-1 C or - 30 C it does not matter. Moving water does not freeze. No way to know exactly where the gas seepage is though.
Drewski
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