A couple days after what was likely the last good snow storm of the winter I went out to the Dune Ridge Trail which you can take out to Kemil Beach and then loop back to the trail head. It was a beautifully clear, cold and windy day. I am always a little bummed as winter nears its end.
I was standing at the very edge of the beach when I took this photograph. What you are looking at is a phenomena called Shelf Ice which forms over the lake water. Shelf Ice looks solid, but it is thin enough in spots to collapse under the weight of a person. The water beneath it can be 6′ deep or more. Walking on it is dangerous. Unfortunately if you are not familiar with the signs it can be very hard to tell where the beach ends and the ice shelf begins.
I love how the winter shadows on the snow are blue.
The most recent storm dumped about 6″ to 8″ of snow, but it was the light fluffy stuff which was easily blown clear along the beach.
Some times, when viewed from the right angle, the lake can look like a scene from Antartica.
Marram grass is very hardy, and has no problem surviving through the winter even along the shores which get pounded by winter storms.
The long shadows from the winter sun highlight the contours of the land.