The Trek to the Frozen Lighthouses

I'm often asked about the dangers of visiting the Lake Michigan lighthouses in winter. Yes, at times conditions can be extremely dangerous, but at other times, they're only mildly dangerous. I say mildly dangerous because any time someone walks out onto the frozen piers on Lake Michigan, bad things can happen, and in winter, the likelihood of events happening is tenfold, even with good hiking conditions. One misstep can lead to an accident where a person can fall and hit their head, or fall into the freezing water. Falling into the water isn't as trivial as you would think. If there is a layer of ice on the water, body weight will likely break through; if there is floe ice or pancake ice floating, a person will likely fall into the water, and these ice chunks will simply float back covering any way of escape. The lake also has currents, especially by the rivers (where lighthouses are often built), you will simply drift under the ice or away from where you fell. There is really no place to climb back out, the ladders along the pier are completely hidden under ice often several feet thick, swimming to the beach is impossible with the 15 foot tall mounds of shelf ice blocking the way. The freezing water will quickly zap the energy from someone's body, but if you do manage to miraculously get to shore, in such cold weather, your clothing will actually freeze, making it difficult to impossible to move after just a few moments.

This isn't to say those of us who do venture out to the frozen lighthouses are super special, but we do know how to read the conditions correctly to decrease the chances of an unfortunate event occurring.

 


I would estimate the width of the breakwaters to be around 25 feet, so actually pretty wide. If the surface is covered in smooth, clear ice, I'm not taking the chance of going out - even with long, metal ice cleats on my boots. The path narrows next to the lighthouse, and one mistake could mean a fall into the lake. I have in the past, walked on the pier in these conditions, and have captured some interesting images, so with age and experience, I won't do it again - don't need to.

Conditions like the ones seen in the images from yesterday, are almost perfect. The waves of Lake Michigan churned up large chunks of ice and froze them into mounds on the pier, and often the way they form, they are taller on the edges, so they kind of keep people from just dropping off. The smaller mounds give your feet a place to settle in and not slide, so while things can be bumpy, they actually help your feet get traction and keep you from sliding.

 

As John and I arrived yesterday, I stated I wouldn't bother going out to the end of the pier. But as I looked closely - not at the other visitor, but at the conditions - I decided it was actually one of the better days for surface conditions, and there was a very small chance of any danger providing everyone took necessary precautions. Precautions such as not walking close to the edge, not climbing any piles near the edge, and always looking first before moving after taking a photo. Photographing in these areas and others with a fall potential has drilled into my mind to remove the camera from my eye, stop, look down and around before moving an inch. One can get so involved in what they're photographing that they can simply take the photo and begin moving, completely forgetting that they are inches from a drop-off or hazardous area.

If you do decide to explore the winter shore, just use caution and common sense, along with some tips from people who have been heading out there for decades.