Stage One: Shock
The mercury plunges and you start with the practical. Your warmest clothing comes out; a bottleneck sweater and an alpaca cardigan become your go-to tops and long Johns under your pants become a must. Before heading out to wait for the bus to work, you pull on your puffiest Michelin Man down coat and your thick Dale of Norway ski hat.
The first time you step outside brings a blunt force to your system. Cold pricks your face and you’re not sure if you can take it. At night, rag wool socks cover your feet as you step into bed and hunker down under a hefty layer of wool and down blankets.
Stage Two: Settling In
A wool ski cap does not leave you head for days both inside and out. Many footsteps that have come before you turn the fluffy white bounty from Mother Nature into a firm plastic walkway. Snow squeaks as you walk on it, a rigid bed of Styrofoam beneath your feet.
The weather forces you to be me more present and does not let you forget that you are alive and in the moment. These are not days you float around oblivious to the sensations against your skin. You move quickly and with purpose during Deep Cold. Everything is a bit more real.
On days like these you become aware of the dangers, when the chill can do harm and exposed skin can will suffer within a handful or moments. Being caught outside for the night can mean death for the most vulnerable members of society. There’s a grimness in the air if you think about it too much.
Stage Three: Appreciating the Magical Beauty
Cobalt blue skies and winds are often still during Deep Cold. Snow sparkles and there’s a clearness in the air. The mountains stand still, solemn, and regal, their presence unphased by the frigid temperatures.
People are friendlier during Deep Cold and seemingly diverse folks now have something in common. Comments while passing one another are uttered, from the slightly hokey “Cold enough for you?” to “Stay warm!”
Deep Cold is time to slow down and not run off so early each morning. You don’t venture out too deep into the backcountry, and your middle-age self appreciates a more relaxed pace.
Stage Four: Relief
Eventually, the chilly air pass and more seasonable temperatures return. Everyday life goes back to the safe and simple. This stage passes quickly
Stage Five: Disappointment
The sense of being alive and in the elements has moved on. The feeling of burliness that comes from living in a place that can be as rugged as Montana is gone. You’re more like everyone else right now; the masses who live in moderate, comfortable climates. You feel kind of ordinary and you don’t like it.
Stage Six: Waiting for more Deep Cold.
It's a secret wish of yours for the return of more Deep Cold.
~
Read more:
- Tales from other cold days https://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2022/01/favorite-ski-bozeman.html; http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2021/02/nothing-to-strava-about.html
- Even if it's not bitterly cold, biking in the snow can sometimes suck. http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2022/01/snow-biking.html
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