• Friday-What'sUP February 23 - 02:05 pm

In the 'dead of winter' is the best time to get out on Lake Superior and check out what the cold weather does to change our surroundings. That's just what Melanie Hakala Rossi and some friends did recently in the Freda area, with the sun shining brightly on their adventures.

They started out near the Stamp Mill, with a neat perspective from out there on the ice, rather than looking at the smoke stack and ruins from on land. Then they inspected some icy caves that had formed during the freezing of Superior. The Big Lake looks vast when its waters are splashing and open, but frozen over like in the fourth photo, really makes it look like it never ends. Those little black dots are people further out there on the ice that day.

Melanie's group of explorers then headed out along the shoreline to have a look at the ice formations that cling to the sandstone walls around Freda. Amazing colors and designs guided their way, along with some frozen waterfalls with unbelievable thickness of the ice formed, as it was still flowing down. Outstanding, is a pretty good description, I'd say.

It is adventures like this, that make winter here UP North, so worth the cold and snow. Thanks for braving the elements, Melanie, so we could just sit back in the warmth of our homes and enjoy the view.

FOOTNOTE: Yesterday's shots from Aladino Mandoli capture the action of the UP200 in Marquette last weekend, so if you missed them, just click here: Thursday, Feb. 20th, to take a look at them!

What a great set of pics! I'm glad to see that someone is enjoying this winter

Brrr Me too, Alex ~ I'd rather 'enjoy' it from the warmth of my home, like Mary said.
Thank you, Melanie & friends!

Impressive pictures Melanie. I do hope that it is a number of years before the winter is cold enough for long enough so you can do it again.

Were those "ice falls" to the NE or SW of Freda? I've seen some in the summer, but never winter.

This is quite a Winter we've been having.

what stunning pics! I have never visited the Freda
area in the dead of winter. very interesting
indeed!

Wonderful pictures!! What a fun day that must have
been. Thanks for sharing the adventure :-)