Funny thing, I lived within a mile of the Peace River for the first half of my life and never actually saw the ice go out.
My dad described watching an event very like that on the Peace. He talked about the ground trembling under his feet and 100 foot wide pieces of three foot thick ice standing on edge by the power of the water.
But it seems that such events are indeed rare. I know that most breakups are somewhat subdued in comparison. Neighbours who witnessed the ice going out on the Peace talked about the whole ice cover starting to move very slowly, with a whisper then moving faster and faster and breaking into small pans. And they described a low rumble as the speed of the ice increased to the speed of the water.
Too bad the video didn't capture the sound. I am sure it would have been deafening.
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Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.
George Bernard Shaw
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