Wawa’s “Blue Ice Phenomenon”
Photo taken at Old Woman Bay March 2014. Courtesy Johanna Rowe
Photo taken at Old Woman Bay March 2014. Courtesy Johanna Rowe (click to view full size)
Have you seen the Old Woman Ice Caves?
By Johanna Rowe
Unless you have escaped Ontario for a winter of palm trees and golfing, you are painfully aware that we are currently experiencing one of the coldest and harshest winters we Northerners have seen in a very long time. The mercury in our thermometers have dropped well below normal, while the snow banks keep growing higher and higher.
Yet in the misery of this never-ending winter, Wawa folks have discovered an incredible silver-blue lining to help pass the long days until the ground reappears once again. I like to call it the Wawa Blue Ice Phenomenon.
Twenty minutes south of Wawa on Hwy 17 there is a dramatic Lake Superior vista of the cliffs at Old Woman Bay that capture every driver’s attention as they are heading south. For the past two months, this view includes a sporadic line of Wawa-ites crossing the vast bay of ice to explore the icy blue caves along the north shore. The sight is somewhat reminiscent of the fortune-seeking prospectors climbing the snow-laden Chilkoot Pass to the golden rivers of the Klondike.
The unseasonably cold and blustery months of late 2013 created the perfect conditions for a wondrous display of spectacular ice formations and caves of blue ice cubes along the eastern Superior coastline. When the lake was calm and temperatures continuously dipped dangerously low, the coastal waters were transformed into a shiny sheen of blue ice. As the atmospheric conditions changed and the winds began to blow, the resulting 30 foot waves shattered the icy landscape. With a roar and blast showing off Superior’s ultimate power, ice slabs and chunks of every size were slowly piled higher and higher.
And then they froze once again. Stunted cedar trees are encased in ice. Cliff faces are covered almost 50 feet high with the remnants of frigid waves from the last big gale. And the icy blue caves of every shape and size are sculptured to perfection for everyone to enjoy.
A few adventurous soul’s decided to be the first to venture out and see what Mother Nature and Superior had left behind. Word spread like wildfire through social media and the famous Wawa grapevine. Folks of every age and outdoor experience are taking advantage of this unique display. Tourists from far and wide have been caught up in the excitement and are making the trip to take one of a kind photographs and enjoy the beauty of some truly incredible natural works of art.
So if you have not been and are tempted, check the weather, grab your camera and a friend, dress appropriately, confirm the ice conditions and head out. The Wawa Blue Ice Phenomenon makes living in this sometimes chilly corner of North America very worthwhile.
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