About the Photographer and the Pilot

Leslie and Peter Zackin

Leslie and Peter love the outdoors. They ski, sail, paddle, swim, bicycle, hike and more. The photos were taken by Leslie from Peter and Leslie's plane, Cessna Archer "Two Kilo Sierra" piloted by Peter.

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Frozen Lake Quassapaug from the Air

February 8, 2022

Lake Quassapaug Frozen

Lake Quassapaug will freeze many winters. It takes the right combination of cold and windless nights to freeze the lake. If not enough of the lake freezes, the wind during the day can beakup the ice. The Canada Geese are also know to try to keep large areas of the lake ice free by swimming at night. Their motion means even lower temperatures are needed to freeze the water.

The ice is very beautiful and will make very eerie and beautiful noises as it expands on a sunny day. The expansion crack noises are scary, but not usually dangerous.

In March and April, "cathederal ice", ice with vertical channels melted by windborn debrie, can be very dangerous and should be avioded.

Any waves can quickly break up the ice by causing it to grind agaist itself. The noise of this grinding is a tinkling of thousands of pieces of ice bumping into one another. This noise is also very beautiful.

Snow on top of the ice will insulate the ice from cold air temperatures and the ice will gain thickness very slowly or not at all.

Lake Quassapaug is too small for iceboating, as the speeds of an iceboat are so high, but with thick enough ice, skating on a lake as big as Quassy is an amazing experience.