Step 18. Embrace the Cold.

So today it was -38, -43 with windchill. That is cold. That was so cold that it felt like my car had pebbles and corn syrup running through it. I thought it would be hard to get used to such shockingly low temperatures, but it turns out to be just fine, as long as you can find the silver lining. The cold turns out not to be a hindrance to adventure, so much as a catalyst to new types of adventure.

At -10 degrees it is life as usual. And so we are going to skip to the temperatures that actually turn heads.

At -20, you can begin to count on a clear sky. This is a good time to drive around with friends in search of the northern lights. Whether or not you will find them is another matter. Perhaps you'll see other celestial happenings, like snow angels.

"Hey Roman, you should make a snow angel! All Canadians do it!"

"Ja? Okay, zo here I goh!"

*physically challenging attempt at making an angel in 3 feet of snow*

"Ja like that Kate? You vill make one?"

"Do I look stupid?"

"I am going back to Juh-many now."

At -25 (-29 with wind chill), outdoor ice skating still counts as a (kind of) good idea. The windchill can really get to the face, however. After a while you cannot stop your nose from running, nor can you feel it. Please note, these were not our beer bottles.

At -30 (-35 w.c.), you can still go skiing. At this temperature, you can typically count on a clear sky. Frostbite on the cheeks is not unusual. Who doesn't love living 10 minutes from the trails?

At -35, you are still good for a solo hike, though you are better off to keep it short. At this temperature, you really don't want to expend a huge amount of energy or get your heart rate up. Breathing in hurts. If you don't want to get stuck “catching” your fiery breathe, you better not lose it in the first place. Sometimes the sunrise view is worth it.

As always, the camera fails to capture the beauty of it. It is just awesome.

As the cautionary tale goes, a young woman who was new to town went for a hike in these temperatures. She didn't understand the cold or hypothermia. After a little bit, she started to feel quite fatigued, so she sat down for a minute. That is where they found her body the next day. So I am careful.

At -40 (-45 w.c) you can barely hold the bolt long enough to lock the door without your fingers sticking to it. Nose hairs freeze between the car and the door. You have to run your car over lunch hour so it doesn't freeze up. The heat doesn't get warm till you've been driving for almost an hour. Your fingers burn. The metal of your earrings freeze while they are in your ears.

At -45 (WITHOUT WIND CHILL!!), you remind yourself you have nothing to prove, and hit up Starbucks.

Step 17- Call for Reinforcements!

Last time I wrote things were tough. And when the goings get tough, the tough fly up to Fort McMurray to visit the not so tough!

It was so good to see an old friend after facing all these very new situations. And thanks everyone for your encouraging notes! I felt so supported in what I am doing up here. Sometimes I struggle with aspects of this job, and I am learning to build 'healthy boundaries' and leave it at the office. It's like other job skills, though. It takes time.

So, in the mean time, I'm using the weekends as a chance to recuperate. And by recuperate, I mean have friends over and fill every possible moment with activity. Lexi came up to spend 3 days living the wild life. It was the best Fort Mac weekend on record.

The first thing to be noted is the LATE night dinner. In this situation, making dinner involved letting a bunch of young German men into the kitchen...

And letting them get to work. Oh man, I didn't even realize the very Mennonite seating arrangement till now!

And then there was the high stakes game of Ticket to Ride that lasted till 1:30 am. I won, handily.

After that late night, it was up nice and early to hit the slopes! I wanted to take Lex dog sledding, but XC skiing had to suffice. I think that was enough cold for one day.

It was, after all, -28. Sometimes it hurts to breath too quickly. So here you are, pushing through snow with your whole body, while simultaneously having to ensure that you never breath too quickly. I love it.

Just to be nice, we let her warm up at Starbucks afterwards.

Creme brule latte shooters! Hurrah for having a friend who works at 'bucks and hands out samples.

Of course, after skiing, and then chipping ice off the driveway when we got home, the only really appropriate dinner was whole chickens.

Now, lately, I've been seeing all my friends in beautiful engagement and wedding photos. And I wanted a nice picture of me! One that is unrealistically flattering. So Lex brought up the SLR and within 5 shots pulled out this beauty. Get a good look, because this one surprised even me! From here on out, seeing the real me will just be a disappointment.

So, with an outdoor adventure and a glamor shot, I am as good as new! Thanks, Lex, for a FANTASTIC weekend.

Step 16 - Know the difference.

I had a post planned on baking and pictures of a program we ran with clients. And now I am just frustrated and feeling inadequate at my job. I am providing some worst-case scenario post exposure counselling. And it is tiring and rough and I am learning not to bring it home.

Sometimes I get frustrated working with doctors who don't get it. And the virus itself is frustrating; a person gets tested after accidental exposure and it will take three months for them to find out. And sometimes a client doesn't want to take post-exposure prophylaxis, the drugs that could inhibit the disease from taking hold. The side effects are brutal, and the effectiveness is undetermined. No cure, no vaccine, no easy answers. Sometimes all you can do is be there.

And sometimes...

... this job...

... just sucks.

There are no fixes in this industry. I wish I could make AIDS go away.

 
Time to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Step 15. Go to the dogs.

I am having to accept, as a general rule, that my camera sucks. I keep it on “Intelligent Auto Mode.” Unfortunately, most of my pictures are now fuzzy. It makes me sad, really. But to be honest, no picture could really capture the excitement and colour of what I have been up to lately. Namely dog sledding.

A friend had his team down from Grand Prairie. I was lucky enough to get to go out with him and his team twice! The first day we took all the dogs and the family house dog out with the quad. The team is still learning; taking the quad lets the musher push them or help them as is fit. We were out for hours! And now, a mostly pictorial essay on how my life is awesome.

Then today we took them out with the sleds. They pulled two sleds, one behind the other. This way I was able to stand on mine and learn how to balance and steer. I have no action shots, of course, because I was busy balancing and steering.

It feels really great to be on the sled; very intuitively. You lean into curves, brace for bumps, and watch out for the guy in front of you hitting branches so snow lands on your face.

Hooking them up is a bit of an ordeal. They all know they are about to get to run and pull, which is playing to them. They get so excited and start making weird howling noises. You know that noise that kids make then they just can't wait? That is what all the dogs do. And you HAVE to have the sled tied in to something and anchored down with big metal grappling hooks. The dogs start jumping to get the sled started and will take off as soon as they feel any slack.

The four strong dogs pulled the bulk of the weight while the two smaller leads set the course and a younger dog Blizzard did her best to not work at all. In total we were 340 lbs- a heavy haul. Bandit, Jericho, Buddy and Benjay are the muscle.

God is so good.

I forgive myself for having a serious case of wild eye. It was, after all, -15 degrees. And I had, after all, been out with the dogs for the last hour. At this point the only thing keeping me moving were the hand warmers Mom gave me for Christmas. Did you know you can get them for inside your shoes?!? Between warm feet and 7 sled dogs, I am in heaven.