Re: Dog Lake/Tenaya Lake

I went up there yesterday for a day trip. Not a cloud in the sky. Original plan was to do Ragged Peak but opted for hanging out at Delaney Meadows (I think/hope that is what it was), Dog Lake. After I saw the ice skating videos I knew I had to head over to Tenaya. I could have brought beach stuff it was so nice out. Couple questions for you guys though...

What are the white circles in the ice? How do they get formed?

Why does the ice ride up along the shore? expanding ice in the center?

Looks like a cloud...

dunno about the circles... but the ice rides up on the edges ... that's due to the wind...

check this out:

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Wind def. has some affect... but mostly that ice riding up is simply due to the
fact that when water freezes it expands. The water below the ice is cooling and
when it freezes... the ice gets thicker and expands... and expands...
If you go to a lake that has granite on it's edges like Lower Cathedral you
can see this and also get a glimpse how a glacier would do that polishing.
At least I did... the ice was riding up on the granite... and you could hear
it moving on the rock every once in awhile. Pretty cool.

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That would be interesting to hear the ice moving along there.

In the picture that you posted, do the grooves form from the start? or does the ice freeze flat and then warmer wind melts the grooves down?

Sorry I don't quite understand your question.

In the picture I posted above... the wind was really cold and it kinda "froze in time".
(that little solution pocket is fairly small... maybe a foot across)
As for lakes freezing... typically... in my experience... normally the wind
will die down after the suns sets... and by morning... many lakes will be very calm..
it's nearly always coldest just before sunrise... so during the night the
lake is freezing up flat.
Something like that.

Here's some photos of Lower Cathedral:






When sitting on the rock in the 3rd photo there... could hear the ice sliding on the granite every once in awhile...
also it was constantly creeking and cracking... like at all the other lakes...



Contemplating going back up this weekend and skating some more lakes..

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I used to live on a lake back east. Sometimes we had very cold nights, with all the snow blown off the lake. You could skate by day or by moonlight.

On a very cold night, there would be these terrible bangs as the cooling ice shrank and suddenly cracked all the way across the lake. An inch or wider crack would open up in a instant, and fill with water. Which then froze. An hour later it would happen again. And again.

In the daytime, the ice would expand, and push up on the shore, where it got anchored, so the process could repeat again on the following night.

Of course, if there was a strong wind, then the ice would move against the downwind shore, even without any temperature cycling.

The circles are formed by air bubbles. The bird is right.

Going up to Yosemite this weekend. I can't believe Tioga Rd is still open! When I first planned the trip, I was planning to try out some winter activities, go on a snowshoe hike, etc. Plans are definitely changed to hiking instead.

How is the hike to Cathedral lakes for snow and ice? Do you need for special equipment?

Other suggestions for hikes over MLK weekend?

Also, where can I rent some skates in the Bay Area?

- elicali

Read this:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,50160,50178#msg-50178

Not sure about skate rental... Mel Cotton's?
Maybe from San Jose Ice (been awhile since been there... but I'm talking about
the one by Spartan Stadium)

Also, bear in mind this possibility:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,50141

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Quote
elicali

Also, where can I rent some skates in the Bay Area?

You usually rent skates at the ice rinks, but I doubt you can leave the premises with the rental skates.

Probably the same setup at the ice rink at Curry Village in Yosemite Village.

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plawrence

Probably the same setup at the ice rink at Curry Village in Yosemite Village.

You could call the Curry Village ice rink to see if they woud allow you to take their rental skates off-premises.

The answer probably is no, but it shouldn't hurt to ask. The phone number for the Curry Village ice rink (unless it has been changed recently) is (209) 372-8319.

Ok, my theory... (and it's just a wild guess) is that the white circles are
formed from air bubbles...

Tanks for sharon btw

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Quote
chick-on

Ok, my theory... (and it's just a wild guess) is that the white circles are
formed from air bubbles...

My wild guess: snow that got trapped in the ice by the surface ice slightly thawing during the day then re-freezing at night.

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Circles from skaters doing pirouettes?