Do Not Walk on Frozen Water

As we drove back into Cambridge this past weekend, the river sparkled, glossed over with a sheet of ice. There seemed to be a firmness to the ice, a solidity that beckoned… But beware: DO NOT attempt to walk across the iced-over Charles. If you do so, YOU WILL DIE. (Not actually. That was hyperbole. But really, it’s actually unsafe.)

Winthrop students, whose House is located right on the Charles, are probably most susceptible to the river's call. So as a preemptory safety measure, Winthrop’s resident dean sent the following e-mail to his house. It is written with wit—but not in jest.

Winthropians,

A short public safety announcement:

I just heard from HUPD about some folks wandering out on the iced over Charles River recently. So I thought I would remind you all that this is very, very unsafe. Perhaps more so now with the temporary warming temperatures, but it is never safe.

For those of you looking for an explanation, the short version is that the river is moving water. So it freezes incrementally and not at all consistently. The ice may be thick in some places and not as thick in others. And it can change rapidly (during the day and overnight). So just because some idiot made it across, leaving his footprints, you might easily fall through following the same path a few hours or a day later.

If you fall through the ice, you will die. The current will suck you under. And the extremely cold water will quickly immobilize you physically (and mentally) such that it is nearly impossible to pull yourself up and out even if you manage to not get sucked under right away.

Some ice can be safe (see http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/recreation/ice_safety.htm). Frozen ponds are where hockey started. And some people enjoy ice fishing (no idea why). But that is for ponds and small lakes - iced over rivers are NEVER SAFE.

So please stay off the river ice!

Thanks,

Gregg

Indeed, please do not wander out into the river. Sometimes, there is a reason that the road less travelled remains untrod.