Chapter 5, April, Thundering Ice and Black Water Summary and Analysis

The ice is out of Cache Lake; the ice thunders when it leaves . The information of the ice breaking spreads quickly throughout the woods. However, not all the snow melts, but everywhere else plants start to grow, such as skunk cabbage. Fresh tracks in the soil appear, and Jim made casts of some of them.

Jim begins to describe the various flowers that start to bloom, though a lot of life is still hidden, such as the squirrels waking up in their homes with their new families and the minks. Many types of insect eggs hatch and they make noise in the evening. Timber hauling begins once the ice breaks. Standard lumberjack jargon can be heard; Jim describes his favorite memory of a log drive down the lake and...