Preparing for a New Hampshire winter means thinking ahead about how ice and freezing temperatures will affect anything left in the water. A wooden dock left in place through the freeze is almost guaranteed to suffer damage:
• Ice expansion & pressure: As the pond freezes, ice expands and shifts. That pressure can crack boards, split joints, and warp the dock frame.
• Movement & heaving: Ice sheets don’t just sit still—they rise and fall with water levels, grinding against the dock and pulling at its supports.
• Moisture damage: Even treated wood absorbs water. Repeated freeze–thaw cycles cause swelling, splitting, and rot.
• Hardware stress: Bolts, brackets, and fasteners can bend or shear off under the strain of shifting ice.
That’s why most waterfront owners in northern climates remove or lift docks before the pond freezes. My seasonal dock is designed for easy removal with two or three strong family members or neighbors. As neighbors help each other we often make dock dremoval a community affair.
Since I have had firsthand experience with damage, my proactive approach of removing the dock is the best way to preserve it for many more summers of use.
This 4 minute video shows my son Tim and neighbor Paul, removing the dock, and further as the dock is stored, it is position for easy return in the early sping unpon decclation of ice out.
- www.baxterstateparkauthority.com/
- Bedford Community Television (BCTV): Knife Edge to Baxter Peak at the Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail produced by Steve Priest
- The Wilderness Map Company, Franconia, NH 03580 (I could find no web site on the map I used titled, Katahdin: Baxter State Park, Maine)
- OutdoorSteve Blog Post November 2009: Springer Mountain, Georgia - The Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail
- Appalachian Trail Conservancy
- http://www.loonsnest.biz/
For more of Steve’s outdoor guidebooks and documentary videos, visit OutdoorSteve.com and Outdooradventurers.blogspot.com.
