We’re in the midst of what winter can do in North Dakota, at least in terms of temperatures and wind. Ugly. Cold. Nasty. Prohibitive. But hey, the end of winter is in sight!

It may not seem that way, but for long-time North Dakotans who have experienced winters lasting from early October and into March and April, this winter has been a walk in the park. January proved to be the third warmest in recorded history for the Minot and snow cover, well, there just hasn’t been any. A bit here and there, but no intersections obscured by snow piles or impassable country roads.

Nope. This winter has been pretty darn nice. I write that knowing that North Dakota always gets even but, what the heck, we’re on a roll here! How bad can it get before spring and summer break through? I’m probably going to regret writing that.

I’ve never experienced a winter, at least at can’t remember one, in which ice fishing tournaments have been so iffy. Some of them have even had to cancel because of concerns, well founded concerns, about thin and unstable ice. Sure can’t blame the organizers either. They’ve had to cope with coronavirus restrictions and warm weather combined.

The Souris River Valley Longbeards called off their annual event set for this past Jan. 9 at Lake Darling. So too did the Devils Lake Volunteer Fire Department with their ice fishing extravaganza the last Saturday in January. Something about drilling five to six thousand holes in the ice and packing in a bunch of fishermen and support equipment made it just too risky.

Lake Sakakawea was freezing nicely, then almost opened up completely in warm weather and big winds, before finally being declared “officially” frozen over by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Jan. 24 – the latest date in history by six days! Does that mean an early ice free date too? Hope so. I wouldn’t be too surprised if open water returns to Lake Sakakawea very early this coming spring.

The Badlands Bass Bandits put monthly events on their calendar throughout the winter, hoping to fish the warm water of Nelson Lake despite the season. The Bandits fished in December and January but even those hardy anglers gave way to the the return to frigid wind chills and canceled their event for today. Don’t blame them for that, no matter how warm the lake temperature.

Ice anglers have been doing their thing and, great to see, have been using a bit extra caution due to what had been a very warm winter not entirely conducive to making ice. I’ve always thought it best to stay of top of the ice. I’m glad other do too.

Snowmobilers, cross country skiers and such haven’t had much of a season. Always feel bad for them, but it’s not like I want a whole bunch of snow either, just enough so people can enjoy what they like to do outdoors in winter is fine by me.

A change, I guess, has been that winter hiking has become more popular, especially in the reasonably warm weather and as a way to social distance and get outdoors. More people seem to be enjoying walking outdoors, even in the city. Of course, that all changes quite a bit when wind chills spoil the experience.

However, the end is in sight. Winter can and often does make a battle out of it but, in the end, can’t stand up to turning pages on the calendar and increasing daylight. My superstitious side says don’t say it, it’ll backfire, but I will anyway. I’m anxious, even hopeful, for an early spring. Please don’t blame me if it doesn’t happen.