Hey winter, you don’t scare us!
Okay, just a little. Okay, okay, every year we brace for impact. And as with all things, winter seems harder with a little kid.
Mountain Town Cold: Realities at 9,000 Feet
We used to hunker down with manhattans, puzzles, books, and a good TV series, but West has yet to develop an appreciation for happy hour.
During the daylight hours we would put on all the layers and ski, snowshoe, and return to some red wine, but West doesn’t love -20 wind chill.
In case you missed it though, it gets really cold in our little mountain town at 9,000 feet. -26 degrees flashed on our thermostat last year in January and I thought, “maybe we will stay in today.” But if the sun shines and the temperature breaks 10 degrees, we go out. I will run in anything down to -8 degrees.
The Importance of Winter Gear
Gear makes all the difference. We have a post on that here. This post is not about gear, but instead the “what”.
Winter Adventure Outings
What do we do with a little child in tow in the winter? The answer to that is all the things we used to …. But with some modifications.
- Cross-country ski with our Burley trailer, which Greg reviewed. The beauty of the trailer is that it not only enables snow travel, but provides shelter from the wind and ample room to pile on the blankets and carry the snacks. We have the best Nordic system in our town, but Nordic systems abound if you are adjacent to any mountains so seek them out. I am no ski pro, but picking up Nordic has been approachable and having groomed tracks with the trailer makes all the difference.
- Snowshoe, also with the Burley trailer. You just strap it around your waist and off you go like a sled dog. In fact, maybe this winter we will see if River can pull the trailer instead!
- Light a fire. This may not be possible where you live, but we can light a fire in a fire pit on our property. Nothing feels quite as good as a raging fire amongst the snow.
- Walk a block, maybe two. We are “training” a little toddler to walk in a straight, forward-moving line. What better time to test those wheels then in the cold, when we don’t want to be out for that long. I like to go outside with him and see where he wants to go. West’s wanders. And sometimes we go where I want to go, like where the hot chocolate flows freely.
- Walk a mile, maybe five. We still seek out dry trails in the lowlands. And we hike, maybe just a little shorter than we used to in the cold, but we still keep moving.
Nothing on this list is revolutionary. It’s all just to say that oftentimes the only thing standing between us and the outdoors is wrestling a little human into a snow suit. And while I am not dismissing the rigor of that undertaking, the crisp winter air awaits.
