Residents skate on Lake Washington during frigid temps
Jan 17, 2024, 6:22 AM | Updated: 6:56 am
(Photo from James Lynch)
(Photo from James Lynch)
In the midst of so much bad news about the weather, with dangerous driving, broken pipes, and greater challenges for the homeless, there is some good news.
Frigid temperatures caused a small section of Lake Washington to freeze over and make way for a pop-up ice rink.
More news: Snow, ice close schools, mess with morning commute
70-year-old Paul Kennard has lived in Seattle since the 1970s, and he said that he hasn’t been able to skate on the lake in a long time.
“It’s actually been great. I have not skated in over 30 years, so it was a little difficult at first, but it’s just so fun to come here to the Arboretum area to skate,” Kennard said.
The rink is in the Washington Park Arboretum in Madison Park, just south of the State Route 520 Bridge.
The ice is only four to five inches deep, with the water only a couple of feet deeper than that. So, if one were to fall in, getting out, skaters say, is relatively easy, sans the cold water.
Willie Stump said that he’s skated Lake Washington since the late 1980s.
“The ice is not great, but it freezes up quickly cause it’s shallow here,” Stump said. “Actually, I skated out toward 520 and fell in, but the ice was only about knee deep.”
The ice won’t last long, so grab your skates and head to the Arboretum.
