Conditions at Cattle Landing/Sheps

[Mink Islander]

Is there lake access at cattle landing this year? Last year, the town's hyper active ice eater made ice access sketchy at best and essentially impossible on snowmobile. I understand the desire to protect the new floating dock, but there's no point to creating massive open water at a key winter access point. Hoping they'll shorten its running time this year. Save the town a little electricity and provide us again safe access to Bear Island and beyond.

Also wonder whether there's access over at Shep's this year back beyond the showroom where the barge goes in/ out.

Hoping to be up next weekend!

[Bear Island South]

This is from the ice in thread see Post #80 by Maxum on 1/1/14

Observations from today...

From sheps, ice looked good all the way out to Bear, Pine and beyond. I walked out on the ice about 15-20 feet or so and it felt good and solid under foot, IE no stress cracking or anything like that. Hard to say how thick it is there but I'd estimate it to be at least 3-4". I had intentions of walking out to BI but being alone and not having an ice auger to test along the way I decided against it even though I probably would have been fine. By this weekend I have no doubts it'll be good. Oh parking lot is plowed.

From Cattle Landing, that is all locked up walked out a little ways on the ice there, again felt good and solid as well. Parking lot is plowed.

[Mink Islander]

Missed that post.

[MAXUM]

As of the Jan 1st....

The lot at sheps was plowed out. Ice access beyond their second showroom was possible, that is where I walked out to check it out. The ice eaters near the newly re-done docks there allowed for open water only a few feet beyond the docks. There is ample room to access the ice there, and at least on Wednesday by foot that seemed pretty safe. Certainly when it is safe you could take a sled down there. I do not have a thickness report since I didn't have a way to put a hole in the ice, but it seemed pretty solid. I will be up there Saturday and will chop a few holes in the ice to check for thickness, if it looks good enough to take the sleds out I will - otherwise I'll walk out to BI from there.

Cattle landing was all locked up, there was no open water around the town dock there, but it was thin immediately around the dock itself but nothing like it was last year. The parking lot there was plowed out as well. I walked out on the ice about 15 feet or so accessing from the right of the town dock, that seemed good and solid as well under foot. Again not sure of the ice thickness there. Since that area around cattle to bear usually is shifty and one of the last places to lock up it's hard to say what the integrity of the ice is there but it looked pretty solid.

If your going to walk out either place would be a good spot to start from, if your going to brave taking sleds out, long as the ice is safe enough going out from sheps is your best bet versus cattle landing.

[fatlazyless]

As soon as the Meredith DPW sees this thread it will be the reminder to go get those ice-eaters running down by the floating dock ...... best not to be talking about it here ...... dunno ? .....like ....oh yeah.....we need to be keeping it all ice-free for the three big pilings ..... gosh darn? :rolleye2::rolleye2::rolleye2:

[gf2020]

View at Shep Brown's this weekend.