Michelle Lutke and Brett Biggers are true to the title of their webpage: Wandering Michigan, as they do get around the U.P. exploring many places that the rest of us have never been to. For today’s adventure, they strapped on their Trail Crampons (metal traction devices with sharp spikes that attach to your boots and provide excellent gripping on snow and ice) and headed out along the Baltimore River in Ontonagon County to check out some ice curtains in that area. These ice formations are next to the Konteka Falls, but are not part of the waterfall. They’re actually formed from water that seeps out of the rock walls along the side of the river. The rusty, brown coloring is from the tannins, most likely from cedar trees in the area. How incredible these formations are, some like large icicles, others like thick curtains. Quite impressive to say the least.

The short video gives us an almost “real time” perspective of the formations, as Michelle is already inside the “cave” and Brett squeezes in between the icy curtain to get inside, too. If you listen closely, with your volume turned up, you can hear the water dripping and also the sounds of the crampons digging into the ice. Mother Nature’s beauty at its finest!

WOW!!! How amazing!!!

Wow! These are so amazing! Thank you for sharing
them.

Hi
What a unique phenomenom. Very U.P. It does look
like it would be relatively safe, at least as long
as the temperature stayed below freezing. Might get
a bit iffy if the ice was melting and the ice let
loose.

Beeeauty!