LAKE SUPERIOR -- Count your blessings if your job allows you to work indoors during the bitter Michigan winter.
That's not the case for the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alder, which has been kept busy by the recent cold snap hitting the Great Lakes.
On Sunday, the crew of the 225-foot Alder was breaking ice on Lake Superior to keep channels and harbors open to navigation. They even gave the public a peek, posting a brief time-lapse video to Facebook.
A few days earlier, the Alder crew was filmed using hammers to break ice off the deck of the ship in -8 degree weather.
Additional uses for the Alder include law enforcement, search and rescue, marine environmental protection, and port security and safety missions.