That Time I...
Hiked Across Four Miles of Ice to Rabbit Island




In the particularly brutal winter of 2014-15, I made many a journey to islands far offshore across the unseasonably thick ice. One such place was Rabbit Island, located about four miles off the eastern side of Lake Superior. The owner, Rob Gorski, alongside Andrew Ranville and a few other brave souls decided we should hike across the ice and camp in the sauna. I was lucky enough to tag along with my kite aerial photography rig in tow.
The hike itself was fairly easy. After all, the ice is level and relatively featureless aside from the occasional jumble of ice chunks or drift of snow. As we plodded over, I hoisted my kite aloft to get some epic pictures of our crew alone on the icy landscape. It was surreal.
Little did we know, it was also a bit sketchy. Only once we'd reached the far side of the island (and later, when I reviewed my aerial photos) did we realize the ice had been blown off the eastern side of the island. The island itself was holding back a wedge of ice connecting to the mainland! Had that given way, we'd have been out for a long ride across the lake.
Exploring the island in winter was a lucky treat that we soaked up heartily. It was a bit cramped with everyone jammed in the sauna to stay warm overnight, so I volunteered to sleep in the much colder entryway. On the way back the next day, we encountered -35°F windchills. No kite flying for me, only bracing against the cold!