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Editor’s note: This article is not an endorsement for anyone to venture out on the ice at Lake Padden or any other unsupervised body of water.
BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – On a sunny February morning, two distant figures seemed to be walking on the water at Lake Padden.
But upon closer inspection, the two were ice skating on 4 inches of ice at one of Bellingham’s most popular recreation areas.
Erik Yattagooch and Ken Arnold, both residents of Bellingham, have been monitoring the ice conditions at the lake throughout the most recent cold snap. Consistent below-freezing conditions have created this rare phenomenon over the last week, and the two men decided to lace up their skates and make the most of it.
Yattagooch frequents the recreation area and has only seen ice this thick at Lake Padden a handful of times before. He previously drilled holes to check ice thickness and declared that the ice was safe to skate on.
At a glance, the average passerby would assume that these men were daredevils as signs posted around the park warn folks to be careful if they venture out on the frozen water.
But ice skating was not the only activity the pair had in mind.
Arnold and Yattagooch took turns riding a Transition mountain bike across the ice, making this adventure even more Bellingham-centric. As the bike rolled across the lake, a faint cracking could be heard as the ice shifted beneath the tires. The two were unphased by the noise and continued to take in the frozen experience.
“Biking on ice is the best because there are no hills,” Arnold said.
The forecast currently shows Bellingham warming up over the next few days, with overnight temperatures remaining above 32 degrees. With that in mind, the two know that their time on the ice at Lake Padden is limited.
Even if the water does not freeze over again this winter or next, Arnold and Yattagooch will always remember this cold winter day when a local journalist joined them on the ice at Lake Padden.
Photos by Sam Kristofferson
