Hard to stay inside on sunny days (01/11/04)

The nice thing about really cold days is that they almost come with bright, blue, clear skies. After weeks (or was it months?) of cloudy days, the cold front that blew in a week ago brought sunshine with it. The sun! Just what I needed to cure my mid-winter blues.

It's hard to stay inside when the day is so sunny and bright. Cold or no cold, the deep green forest decorated with brilliant white snow draws me out to explore. There's nothing wrong with cold weather that layers of warm clothing can't cure.

Layers are very important. Layers of clothing trap more warm air near your body, keeping it warmer.

If you happen to be working hard, tramping on snowshoes through the thick forest, having layers lets you take some clothing off as you warm up.

I can't overemphasize the need to adjust your clothing to the conditions of the moment. When it's really cold outside, and you go out to play and work, it's crucial that you avoid sweating. Lots of clothes will keep you warm , yes, but once you get your internal furnace working as you trek through the woods, you need to adjust the layers so you won't get wet from your own sweat.

Being wet outside when it's really cold is very dangerous. Water draws heat away from your body; this is why you sweat when you get overheated. Your body is trying to cool off. If you don't take some layers off, you may get too wet, and then you could be in trouble.

I've seen it far too many times. The temperature is -35 C or maybe even just -15. People bundle up with everything they own, then go out for a ski. When they get home, all their clothes are wet; water is dripping down their back. This makes me shiver. What would have happened if they broken a ski? Or sprained an ankle? Or for some other reason they had to stop skiing and stand in one spot for an hour waiting for something? They could freeze to death in their own sweat.

A couple of days ago we also had a "severe weather warning" due to extreme wind chill. Everyone who loves to be out in the winter knows that wind chill can get you most anytime there's a breeze. The trick is to stay out of the wind. Deep in the forest there's no wind chill. But out on the lake, it can be deadly. I'm amazed at the temperature difference here at home between the wide-open expanse of the lake when there's a north-west wind, and the sunny, lee side of the hill where there's no wind at all. We have measured a temperature difference of 10 C. And that doesn't even factor in the wind chill.

All this is just to encourage you to embrace these frigid, sunny days. Dress up in layers, and get out there to enjoy winter. Stay in the sun and out of the wind and you may find yourself strolling along as though it were a summer day on the beach.