Photos of Frozen Lake Charlevoix in Michigan Go Viral

There are numerous outdoor activities to enjoy during the winter. Depending on where you live, you might enjoy an opportunity to walk across a frozen lake, as in the case of Andy Poineau of Boyne City, Michigan.

Last week, the 63-year-old noticed that Lake Charlevoix — his state’s third largest lake — was frozen over when it was below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Poineau decided to walk across the frozen lake, and he snapped photos of the breathtaking experience.

Although Poineau’s January 15 post of the photos only garnered 740 shares, the post was shared on Physics-Astronomy.com’s Facebook page and there received over 65,000 shares.

“I am completely blown away by this whole explosion,” Andy Poineau wrote to Your Daily Dish.

The photos went viral across social media as people debated if Poineau really walked on the water with a shovel.

“There’s so many comments on Reddit that are saying it’s Photoshopped,” Poineau told USA Today. “People are taking my image and playing with it. Initially (with the commenters) it was astonishment, but then they settled into conspiracy theories.”

According to website Science Questions With Surprising Answers, the phenomenon  of frozen lakes is very real. Water that drops below freezing expands, becomes less dense and rises to the top. Warmer water, by contrast, drifts below the colder water because it is too dense.

If you are going to explore a frozen lake this winter, please follow some safety tips. Use a chisel to measure the thickness of the ice on the lake. If the thickness is less than 3 inches, stay away. You will also need several inches to support robust activities beyond walking on frozen lakes.