Ice Fishing: A New Englander's Example Of Staying Warm In The Dead Of Winter
Armed with a heated tent and a portable camp fire. The day's unusually cold weather was no issue for the ice fisherman I encountered.
As SubArtic temperatures blast most of the northeastern corner of the US, most people hunker down in front of a warm fire. Most people, but not everyone. Armed with my 35mm Leica M3, I set out on a frozen lake in New England to get a closer look at a small tent I noticed from the road. As I came closer, I noticed an older couple surrounded by small holes in the ice, warming themselves in front of a portable fire.
Amused by my request to document their setup, the gentleman excitedly held up the top of his Budweiser-branded fireplace and allowed me to photograph him doing so. The woman who I assumed to be his wife handed me a treat to give to their dog, and they began explaining just how dedicated to the process they are.
Every morning at 4 AM, they haul their tent, fireplace, and fishing gear across the ice in a large sled, set up, and begin drilling dozens of holes. They then place a fishing line fastened to a pole, which is placed laterally across the width of the hole, and then they wait and wait and wait. They explain that in some cases, they stay there for over ten hours before they have enough fish to make the trip worth their while.
The ruggedness of New England natives (which I am not) never ceases to amaze me. I, for one, can't handle anything below fifty degrees for longer than an hour or two. But for these ice fishermen, "too cold" is nothing more than a simple fix.
While I was making my way towards their camp, I asked myself, "Why Would someone who lives less than thirty minutes from a supermarket in any direction even consider spending their afternoon isolated in the freezing cold?" But in my time talking with them, I began to understand what was so compelling.
As the world rapidly becomes more fast-paced, and we become more and more engulfed in minute-by-minute recaps of grim instant news stories and online political wars. Stepping back and disconnecting from the digital realm in a way that forces you to focus on yourself and your craft is becoming more and more pertinent. As for me, I'll stick to experiencing those feelings in my home studio with a warm cup of coffee and a guitar in hand.