Coming from temperate western Washington state, I was thrilled when Lake Carnegie froze as smooth as glass my first winter at Princeton in February 2007. I bought a cheap pair of skates from somewhere south on Route 1 and spent every cool, crisp morning (and several evenings) for a week enjoying a tottering turn about the lake. While my skating steadily improved, it was somewhat at the expense of my left knee, which bore the brunt of a couple spectacular slips. To this day, occasional tingling in my kneecap if I kneel wrong reminds me of that giddy frigid week, and I smile.

Photo courtesy of Jessica (Baumgaertel) Thrussell *12