# Cold?



## Rick P (Dec 26, 2011)

It dropped below zero here when the skies cleared off. But I just got done talking to some friends out in the bush......   -31 at there place. Winter has officially arived. They will get a bit colder yet, and we will no doubt be in the negative 20's and 30's in a week or two.


----------



## Powerstroke 7.3 (Dec 26, 2011)

Was outside in short sleeves - could have put shorts on...
We miss the four seasons but being able to kayak fish and work in the shop with no heat on this time of year is nice.  Would lu=ike to throw a snowball at a couple of folks here...lol


----------



## Jgrden (Dec 26, 2011)

Around 32 today. Snow on the ground.


----------



## JimB (Dec 26, 2011)

Unusually warm here as well. We are also heading for the least amount of snow for the month of December. Doesn't feel like winter at all.


----------



## StephenM (Dec 26, 2011)

I just got a wood stove for the shop (craigslist - 100 bucks).  Be spending the next week rearranging things and putting in the stove, pipe and chimney.


----------



## ossaguy (Dec 26, 2011)

It's been in the 70's during the day here in San Diego,and they predict it will last thru the week.I got a lot of penturning done the last few days,I love it!

Steve


----------



## el_d (Dec 27, 2011)

-31????? Im freezing at +38.  Dont like the cold.


Im waiting for the 100 mark we ussually have over the summer here.


----------



## bluwolf (Dec 27, 2011)

So I'm guessing you really don't want to hear what the temperature was here in southwest Florida......:island:

Mike


----------



## maxwell_smart007 (Dec 27, 2011)

I'd rather have cold than hot... -20 is better than 30 above, in my books...


----------



## Rick P (Dec 27, 2011)

maxwell_smart007 said:


> I'd rather have cold than hot... -20 is better than 30 above, in my books...


 

When ever I hear "-40 are you nuts!" I respond "give me -40 over +40 and rain any day! You can't do a damn thing soaking wet" Besides that really is the definition of COLD from where I sit! I can call predators all day in sub zero weather but my butt is froze after an hour in the drizzle hunting moose!

The BEST thing about our wall tent is that the wood stove keeps it dry, warm is nice but having a place that is warm AND dry makes all the difference!


----------



## Rick P (Dec 27, 2011)

Tracy getting ready to head out into the snow............


----------



## Rick P (Dec 31, 2011)

-5 here......-42 in Marshall Alaska, yes it's on its way here!


----------



## Rick P (Jan 1, 2012)

-24 this am, getting a bit more comfortable out........time to put on my carhartt. Tracy is waring her parka for the first time this winter today. Back to the big city for a lunch with friends in from GA. Hope everyone survived the festivities.


----------



## Displaced Canadian (Jan 1, 2012)

In South east Alaska it never got that cold but I would rather have -24 and dry than just above freezing and raining. I was born in Manitoba and there you get the cold AND the wind. Here in western Washington when you tell people that back home sometimes you couldn't start your truck because you forgot to plug it in the night before people just look at you funny.


----------



## shadetree_1 (Jan 1, 2012)

I remember when Linda and I were just starting out and all we had was a Well worn out old 59 Ford F100 4wd and we could not afford the plug in crankcase warmer and I had to put a flood light under the pan and close in around it to keep the heat in so we could start it in the mornings to get the kids to school, and that was here in Arizona in the White mountains, and you would be surprised at the number of people who look at you funny and say, But Arizona is a desert isn't it?


----------



## maxwell_smart007 (Jan 1, 2012)

I don't think you can BUY a car without a block heater up here...and if you did, you couldn't run it nine months of the year. 

Just did a few hours of vinyl siding  weather channel - 29kph winds, but it's quite mild otherwise.  About -17, but the winds make it feel like -30, I'd guess!  

Thank goodness for Carharts and Christmas toques!! 

Andrew


----------



## BKelley (Jan 1, 2012)

Rick,

I was at Elemendorf  almost 3 years.  There was a Cherokee indian from north Georgia working with me and this what he had to say about cold weather.
"That cold Alaskan breeze hit this Georgia boy's butt and turned his thoughts toward
Dixie".
And those are just about my seniments also.  Loved the summers, but I know why bears hibernate in the winter!!  I stayed out one night up around Sheep Mountain, and stocked up on enough cold to last me a lifetime.

Ben


----------



## turff49 (Jan 1, 2012)

I miss Alaska. Spent 4 wonderful years at Ft Richardson back in the 80's. BrimFrost 88 had to be the coldest. Became a member of the 100 Below Club at Clear Alaska that year. We made CNN News because of the temps and us staying in tents. Loved it!!


----------



## Texatdurango (Jan 1, 2012)

I wonder how long it takes for one to aclimate to cold temperatures?  We've been having cold weather and snow here for about a month and a half now and last month for about 12 days in a row the temps never got above 28, dropping into single digits every night.  When it started getting cold I would really bundle up in my best ski jackets, gloves and boots.  

Now when it's actually colder outside I find myself taking the pup out for his morning pee in the back yard wearing just my house robe and not really feeling uncomfortable at all.

My friend at Lowes, a local resident all his life, says he usually stops wearing shorts and sandals when it starts hitting the teens!


----------



## Rick P (Jan 1, 2012)

Displaced Canadian and Joe:

We plug in Tracy's rig before bed, she is up and out by 5am and plugs in my rig for my son and I to be ready by the time we leave for preschool. Hers could probably go without by my diesel really hates the cold. All the office buildings and hotels have outlets in the parking lot.

Andrew:
Its been a great winter for us as Displaced Canadian said it more miserable when its above freezing and wet! We got a lot of that last year, ruined the trapping season and I had to do the line in GLACIER CLETS more than once do to ice up. I am sure the sheep and the goats were hit much harder by the icing than this years more normal if a bit mild weather. The wind has been dead flat all week, but that going to change! The peaks were "smoking" this evening so the winds are coming, hoping to chase some critters a bit before they start ripping off the glacier.

Ben:
 I hunt and trap a bit out that way......nights are brutal!

Turff49:
Clear is the military cold climate research area.......BRUTAL by design! Some really cool tech including a heavy sniper rifle developed there!

Tex:
 90% of the time I am in whatever I am wearing around the house plus a Heavy flannel down well below zero, the right hat makes a huge difference but 95% of it is being used to the cold. You eat a bit diferent in the winter too and that makes a HUGE difference.  I can't speak for others but I never really do seem to adapt to heat, but cold isn't a big deal.


----------



## Rick P (Jan 1, 2012)

The boy stold my hat! That's not fare Dad's got no hair up top!!!


----------



## Texatdurango (Jan 2, 2012)

Rick, Speaking of hats, what makes for a good hat when out in the bitter cold?  I just bought some really warm boots last month so now have all the body parts covered pretty warmly except the head!  I have one of those polyester sock hats and even when snow skiing they do a poor job at best of keeping the head warm.  My neighbor has a really warm fur looking hat he got in Nefowndland years ago but doesn't remember where now.


----------



## Rick P (Jan 2, 2012)

Well gun is waring a mad bomber hat I find them to warm in temps above about -10. You can find them at http://madbomber.com/

If you want something a little more "custom" My friend Bonnie makes fur gear this is her site, http://www.alaskaspiritcrafts.com/id1.html Beaver is one of the best picks for fur. These are hand sewn and probably the best in warmth and quality you are ever going to find.......they are also pricey!

Temps above -10 or so I like the sock hats with ear flaps, not sure what they are called but I'll find a link. Anyway get one in WOOL with a fleece liner. Or one in heavy fleece. The key is finding a hat that is very resistant to wind and NOT cotton! Cotton is the worst thing you can wear in cold weather, even a slight amount of moisture will have it wicking off body heat fast! If you must wear cotton pants then put a pair of bibs on over them. Bibs are the unsung heroes of cold weather, excellent at keeping your core warm. Here is a pic of the kind of "sock hat" I like. Note the liner, when your buying a hat put your hand in it, get the hat up by your face and try to blow through the fabric. If you can feel your breath through the fabric move on.


----------



## maxwell_smart007 (Jan 2, 2012)

Just a nice warm toque is all I like - pompom is optional! 
...a balaclava is nice if it's windy

(oh, and for you non-Canucks, a toque is a winter cap)


----------



## Displaced Canadian (Jan 2, 2012)

Columbia makes a good winter hat. Gortex or nylon outside with a fuzzy something or other inside. It's a flap eared hat with a short brim and the flaps can be pulled down and stuck together under your chin. the flap also goes around the back of your head. It keeps you quite warm and with the flaps down but not stuck together ti looks a little like an angry arctic jellyfish attacked your head.


----------



## drgoretex (Jan 2, 2012)

Well, another cold weather fan here.  I love the winter, and fully agree that going out and about at -30 C (I guess low minus 20's F) is not bad at all, just have the right gear, and you can be comfortably out in it all day (and night).  Nothing beats the awesome sounds and feelings of lying camped out on the lake on three feet of ice, listening to the ice crack and shift as the sun goes down...  But +30 C (or 86 F)?  I am just dying.  That kind of heat is not for me.


Ken


----------



## TellicoTurning (Jan 2, 2012)

You guys can keep all that cold in Alaska or Canada... I don't need any of it in Tennessee... give me the heat any day of the week.  It's about 35 F here and my butt will freeze off if I go out side... if I'd had my druthers, we'd be in Costa Rico or Belize or somewhere along the equator in my retirement.  I AM A WUSS in the cold.


----------



## EBorraga (Jan 2, 2012)

Well it was 52 degrees here yesterday. Today it was 14 degrees, but felt like +4 with the wind chill. Gotta love the Ohio Valley.


----------



## Rick P (Jan 2, 2012)

What you eat makes a big diferance too.........ya cant stay warm on salad! Gunther and I loaded up with a couple of cheese burgers before we went out this evening. We have a couple of snares set by the river but no luck yet.


----------



## Rick P (Jan 2, 2012)

it got a bit cold but Gunther kept at it, we rode another 30 minutes after this pic was taken......


----------



## Texatdurango (Jan 3, 2012)

Rick P said:


> Well gun is waring a mad bomber hat I find them to warm in temps above about -10. You can find them at http://madbomber.com/


 Thanks for the link, I've got a bomber on it's way, woo hoo!


----------



## ed4copies (Jan 3, 2012)

maxwell_smart007 said:


> I'd rather have cold than hot... -20 is better than 30 above, in my books...




I BELIEVE this is Celsius---Andrew speaks Canadian.


----------



## Rick P (Jan 3, 2012)

Yep I got that Ed Yoopers, Alaskans and Canadians are first cousins we get each others accents right off eh.

I even knew what a toque was!


----------



## Rick P (Jan 3, 2012)

But I still cant say "balaclava"............


----------



## Rick P (Jan 3, 2012)

-20c is a few degrees below zero, 30c is the mid 80's in fahrenheit.....and he's still spot on from here.


----------



## Rick P (Jan 3, 2012)

Your welcome Tex.......if anyone gives ya guff about wearing fur, says some dumbass thing like "Fur is murder" you look them square in the eye and say "no it was lunch, now its a hat!"


----------



## wolftat (Jan 3, 2012)

I went through the carwash today and the water froze before they could dry it off my truck....LOL...I'm thinking that tomorrow may be a great day to pull the bike out and take it for a ride, it always runs better in the colder weather.


----------



## sbwertz (Jan 3, 2012)

wolftat said:


> I went through the carwash today and the water froze before they could dry it off my truck....LOL...I'm thinking that tomorrow may be a great day to pull the bike out and take it for a ride, it always runs better in the colder weather.



How did you make out in the October storm?  My son in Cheshire, CT was without power for almost a week. They have 2 fireplaces, so they were OK there, but they are on a well and water was a problem.  He keeps a rainbarrel and used the snowmelt from the rainbarrel to flush the toilets.  After Irene they keep a lot of bottled water on hand for drinking.


----------



## Rick P (Jan 3, 2012)

Everyone should keep an emergency kit no matter where they live. NO place is free from natural disaster.

Glad your boy is fairing well Sharon!


----------



## Rick P (Jan 3, 2012)

The truck was plugged in over night and it's been warming up for a while now.........Hmmm maybe I should double check the temp before we head out?


----------



## ctubbs (Jan 3, 2012)

Rick, a photo question, what camera do you use?  I appears to work rather well in your local temps.  Beautiful photos you keep sending.  Makes my bride want to pack it all in and head North West.  Not a bad idea.
Charles


----------



## Rick P (Jan 4, 2012)

Tracy is actually a 3rd generation photographer, she still is an amateur but the rest of the family makes there living from photography. They have all kinds of cameras but the work horses are all Canons. The northern lights shots I posted a while back were shot with my wife's digital rebel xt. I am NOTORIOUSLY hard on gear, but I needed a camera to take with my on alpine hunts so she got me a Power shot D780 is what I think it says on the camera body....Kinda hard to tell but I'll get to that. All the shots in this thread with the exception of the truck were done with it. It's one of those little point and shoot cameras with a bit of zoom, but it's 12 megapixel, real close to the resolution of my wife's professional grade camera.

Thing is for most stuff I can't tell what came from which camera and my little red point and shoot isn't exactly in new condition. First time out with it was a bear hunt, I dropped it in a boulder field! Damn thing bounced about 6 or 8 times before it finally came to a stop. The lens housing was so bent it wouldn't retract! After about 30 minutes of wondering if I should bother to go home and face the wrath of Tracy for busting my brand new camera, I took a deep breath closed my eyes and used both thumbs to force the lens closed. Bit more pressure and it sat somewhat even with the body of the camera. I have had to open the lens shutter covers manually ever since. That's not the last time it was dropped......not by far! The zoom quit when I took a swim while duck hunting with the boy, yup my trusty red camera was in my shirt pocket. Got home covered in swamp muck and soaking wet, opened up the camera to get the card and the battery and threw the camera in a drawer. Couple of weeks later I was about to throw it away when I thought "what could one more try hurt"? Slapped in a new battery and shazam! It worked, no zoom but hey it still takes pictures!

Thing is with any of the cameras we always have an extra battery or two and keep them warm by carrying them in one of our inside pockets, my trusty little red camera is no exception. The big cameras last fairly well, my trusty little red camera freezes up quick! The ones of our evening ride? Ya it froze solid with the lens extended right after my son finished taking my picture. So in the negative 20's you have about 12 photos before you have to warm it up again or call it quits.

I have always wanted a medium format Hoselblad for land scape work in the mountains and Tracy has always laughed when I mentioned one!


----------



## wolftat (Jan 4, 2012)

sbwertz said:


> wolftat said:
> 
> 
> > I went through the carwash today and the water froze before they could dry it off my truck....LOL...I'm thinking that tomorrow may be a great day to pull the bike out and take it for a ride, it always runs better in the colder weather.
> ...


 Lost power for about 10 hours two days after the storm when they shut down the grid for repairs, otherwise i lost a few big branches on my giant Magnolia tree in my front yard. The upside of it was that the branches are mostly curly wood. I have 2 generators and live near the top of a hill so I alwayss seem to come out okay. My parents didn't have power for 10 days but i went over and hooked up a generator for them and made sure they were okay.


----------



## maxwell_smart007 (Jan 4, 2012)

Someone mentioned today that Winnipeg is the coldest city on the planet with a population above 500,000...

Regardless of the weather, it's the windchill that gets you...-20 with 25kph winds feels like -40 (and -40 is -40, celcius or farenheit)


----------



## joefyffe (Jan 4, 2012)

Rick P said:


> maxwell_smart007 said:
> 
> 
> > I'd rather have cold than hot... -20 is better than 30 above, in my books...
> ...


 
Rick: Please promise me you are an honest man. That way, I can just take your word for it.!!!


----------



## Rick P (Jan 4, 2012)

I am, honest, and I'm being serious about this post. You can dress for -40 and to a certian degree you can rain. But eventualy it soaks in and leves you nothing short of misserable! And you stay misserable till you are able to dry out.


----------



## cacardon (Jan 5, 2012)

I had a great day outside today 80 F today at my place


----------



## Rick P (Jan 5, 2012)

Ya keep that heat down there! My 5 year old has never seen 80. And I hope he never has to!


----------



## Rick P (Jan 6, 2012)

Someone once said a picture is worth a thousand words.......:biggrin:

Beautiful day today!


----------

