Authorities differ on how heavy a load ice can carry

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Elsewhere in this section, you’ll find the account of two Maine men who lived a winter nightmare and survived.

Each year in this state, there are plenty of similar stories of sportsmen and women plunging through the ice and into a lake or pond.

Some end up like Ty Brehaut and Brad Libby. Others aren’t so lucky.

One question sports keep asking this time of year is a constant: How much ice is enough ice?

The answer: It depends on who you ask, and what kind of ice you’re talking about.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife includes a handy ice chart in its ice fishing rule book, but a quick look at three sources will show you that the “estimates” offered on any chart are just that: estimates.

For instance, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says a single person on skis only needs 13/4 inches of ice, if they’re moving, to remain safe.

The DIFW chart, which is credited to the American Pulpwood Association, says one person on foot should have 2 inches of solid blue ice underneath them.

And according to the Northwest Territories Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development Department, a single person ought to have 3.9 inches of solid ice beneath their feet.

Who to believe?

It’s your life. Isn’t worth a bit of extra caution?

A few pieces of information, courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:

. Contrary to what many people think, a rapid and large change in air temperature causes an ice sheet to become brittle, and may cause it to become unsafe for up to 24 hours.

. Cracks in the ice surface are either wet or dry. If dry, they do not penetrate the ice sheet and are not a problem. If wet, the ice may be half as strong as charts suggest.

. Ice thickness near shore may be either thinner or thicker than the ice on the rest of the body of water.

. If the air temperature stays above freezing for 24 hours or more, the ice begins to lose strength, and charts or tables no longer represent safe conditions. Even though the ice may retain adequate thickness, the strength is quickly lost the longer the air temperature is above freezing.

And according to the Northwest Territories RWEDD:

. Driving fast over thin ice can create a wave similar to a boat wake, which, under the right conditions can crack the ice ahead of the vehicle.

. Driving over a bump or sudden braking increases the effective weight of a vehicle. Drive carefully and slowly.

. Frequent and repetitive loading of the ice can drastically weaken it.

Salmon trip auction update

Those of you who aren’t bidding for the Maine salmon fishing trip being offered by Fjord Seafood may still be interested in what kind of price such a trip demands.

If you haven’t heard, Fjord Seafood, an aquaculture business, is offering seven anglers the chance to fish for monster Atlantic salmon at their pens off Mount Desert Island.

As of Friday, the minimum bids of $250 per slot had been surpassed. With seven bidding opportunities up for grabs, anglers have the choice of trying to swoop in and win the lowest-priced trip. Still, the price is creeping upward.

The top bids ranged from a high of $316 to a low of $305, and a total of 35 bidders had tried to land one of the fishing junkets. The auction runs through Dec. 30.The winning bidders will spend a half day on the water and will take home plenty of fish that range from 20-40 pounds. Even if you don’t want to consider it “fishing,” you may want to consider it a chance to fill up the freezer with a year’s worth of tasty salmon.

For more information, check out www.ebay.com, and type “Maine salmon trip” into the search engine.

Turkey application reminder

What with the holiday season occupying the thoughts and activities of many, it’s easy to put some things off until later.

Well, now that St. Nick has made his annual fly-by, it’s time to make sure you don’t miss out on applying for what some call Maine’s most exciting hunt.

The application deadline for Maine’s turkey hunt permit lottery is Jan. 15. Go to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Web site to apply simply from your home computer.

The Web address is http://www.informe.org/ifw/turkeypermit.html.

ICE SAFETY ESTIMATES

Ice thickness (inches) Permissible load

2 One person on foot

3 Group of people walking single file

7? Passenger car (2-ton gross weight)

8 Light truck (2?-ton gross)

10 Medium truck (3?-ton gross)

12 Heavy truck (7- to 8-ton gross)

15 Heavy truck (10-ton gross)

20 25 tons

25 45 tons

30 70 tons

36 110 tons

WARNING: This table provides estimates for clear, blue ice on lakes. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife provides this table established by the American Pulpwood Association, but suggests you reduce the strength values by 15 percent for clear blue ice on rivers. In addition, slush ice is only one-half the strength of blue ice. This table does not apply for parked loads.