Rockywold Deephaven Camps: Lake Ice Tradition

I had barely begun, in the previous post, to express myself completely in regard to the lake ice tradition at Rockywold Deephaven Camps {RDC}.   The whole ice bit had me rather pre-occupied during my visit.  Perhaps too, I was over excited, come to find that the inordinate amount of photos I took of the subject are mostly blurry.  Luckily, I took many, so I should be able to get the point across.

As I mentioned, a group of hearty New Hampshire traditionalist die-hards harvest ice each winter at RDC. (I attended the informational slide show for guests so that I could learn more, more, more about the history of ice harvesting - that is entertainment RDC style).  Once harvested (ice is cut into cakes, do not call them blocks even though you may be tempted...) the ice cakes are stored in the two ice houses at RDC.  Ice is laid out in layers, covered generously and completely with sawdust and layered and layered - filling the ice house to the roof.

It is August now and the ice house is nearly empty, camp is only open for 3 more weeks.  At the beginning of the season the ice house would have been full.  The "ice guys" have to climb the ladder and begin taking ice cakes from the top layer, bent over and up in the ceiling rafters.  As the season progresses they make their way to the bottom layers.  What is the status of the cakes at the bottom?  Frozen solid, still their original size and shape.  They have been in that house covered with sawdust from January to this summer day in August and are perfectly preserved.  It simply doesn't seem possible

When the stored ice comes out of the ice house is it obviously covered with saw dust (see above) and needs to be rinsed.  This is the job responsibility of little campers each week.

Once thoroughly rinsed the ice is loaded into vintage wooden wheelbarrows ...

... and delivered to each cabin by strikingly handsome and charming eastern European housemen who also build a fire in your fireplace if in fact you burnt the one they built for you yesterday.  Each cabin is outfitted with a vintage icebox and they are size appropriate for the number of bedrooms each cabin has. Here is ours:

Others I saw were enormous.  All vintage, all pristine and all used daily.  The ice boxes were rather effective at keeping the contents cool.  The whole deal was such a pleasure, so much a part of the scene, integral to setting the tone.  When the ice guy arrives at your cabin he takes the little pick thing and chop hunks of ice and fill your cabin's ice box to the brim. 

Apparently about 15 years ago 3 small dorm size refrigerators were purchased and put in 3 of the cottages.  The management was thinking to replace the ice boxes over the years updating a few cabins at time.  The guests that year demanded the removal of the refrigerators.  Those refrigerators are apparently used in 3 staff apartments and there was no further mention of mending the ice tradition.

There simply is just something about that ice.

There are notices around camp to not consume the ice, though long term campers pride themselves on using camp ice in their beverages.  Squam Lake is known to be one of the cleanest lakes in the world, so if you love RDC then you love the ice, down to the very last drop.

Comments

[Richele]

I am now at peace knowing you are having a great time. A well-deserved, completely relaxing time without thinking about/preparing/cleaning up meals time. Just a pour my ice-cold Bud Lite time.

After reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Farmer Boy" we knew we had to see an ice harvest and at Hancock-Shaker Village we got to try our hand at it. Brrr.

I suspect your enjoyment of ice at the end of the summer on a lake is quite a bit more romantic than ours.

[Anna]

Love the wheelbarrows-and the icebox! However, I would request purified ice-OMG did little D eat the ice????

[Andra mattaliano]

Laurie I just happened to check in to see what was new on your blog. I found myself reading on and on. You are very clever. I love your new coat closet. I love how you decorate,decorate and decorate a little more.
P.S. I love that pink shirt. Do you think mark would look good in it?!??

[Clem]

I pulled and delivered ice from the old Deephaven Icehouse (it has since been replaced) for two summers in the late 70s. Always an enjoyable job. We figured we each delivered about 9 tons of ice each summer in those wheelbarrows. I don't know how many times I heard a guest say "The Iceman cometh!" thinking they were being original! We had one of those electric fridges in the dorm, but we still used the real icebox for keeping our beer cold!