As spring arrives, the change in the weather results in everyone digging out the summer gear and heading out hiking. Please remember that this is also the time of year to be careful around swift water, rotten ice and collapsing snowbanks.

Make sure to watch where you're walking, and don't try any slopeside snow-field crossings without proper mountaineering equipment. The ice in many lakes may already gone in some places and really rotten in others, so stay on the shore when skirting the lakes. Make sure to watch out for dogs, as they tend to run out on the ice and fall through. When that happens, people are tempted to try a rescue, placing themselves in serious danger. If the ice won't hold a dog's weight, it definitely won't hold a person's weight.

Make sure someone knows where you're hiking, and try to take a friend along, too, in case someone needs to go for help. There is a lot of great terrain out there and local law enforcement is responsible for starting the Fire Department, search and rescue and other resources should someone get into trouble. We all would appreciate your being cautious so spring fun doesn't turn into disaster.

Read what can happen in Tragedy at Convict Lake.