... walking out to check the mail this afternoon, I flipped up my collar against the rain and smiled... what a day... a fifteen mile an hour breeze... 45 degree temperature.... replete with gray skies and fat raindrops... it reminded me of Scotland...
... you know, people talk about extremes... and they admire their ability to endure them... especially when hiking or camping... desert, jungle, or arctic.. they all have their challenges...
.. but today?... walk 10 miles in a slow, chilling rain with the temperature just above freezing... stay dry and comfortable... then camp for a couple of days in those circumstances... and stay dry and comfortable....
... it doesn't always take an extreme to make something hardcore... and in my mind, a cold and wet day is the most sapping of climates... especially when a nice wind is thrown in....
... I've had my cheeks and eyelids chapped so badly that I could hardly open my eyes.. I've had my face so chilled by wind and rain that I couldn't use my mouth to form words... I've had my hands so cold and numb that I had to use one to push the other into my pocket... and all of that happened in temperatures between 35 and 45 degrees....
.. where am I going with this?... I don't know... just sitting here drinking coffee and rambling.... but one this is for sure... never underestimate the power of the mundane... sure, extremes get all the sexy press and the prime-time slots on the Discovery Channel... but hanging out in the everyday gray is the true challenge... trust me...
... damn, I need to go camping....
Oh I am not an extreme kinda gal at all. 40 is damn cold to me!
I am oh so ready to go camping again. Cool weather camping is next. My husband is starting to hate me... heh heh heh.
Bullshitted by Bou on November 21, 2005 12:35 PMyou are so right. milling about in the mundane can be sheer torture, when the extremes are at least memorable. however, clips of you "making it" to the mailbox between coffee and afternoon cheese sandwiches aren't likely to stir up much traffic on the discovery channel. better stick to blogging it. dude, i see the manliness in it, just not sure your everyday joe would.
Bullshitted by shoe on November 21, 2005 01:59 PMI see it. You want to camp? Hell, anytime after Thanksgivin' come the hell on up and camp here. Shoot, not only can you camp here in endless "grey days" you can freakin' surf ahia too! Cowa'freakin'bunga dude. I hate grey shit. Especially when it plants itself into your sky like a take from the early part of Joe VS. the Volcano. I can honestly relate to the only bright "colored" spot being the little "hula lamp" he got somewhere that adorns his desk. Screw grey days. They suck. Rain, chilly, or otherwise. I hate 'em. Hate 'em. I'd rather dodge gator's and rattler's in the light of a Carolina blue sky, and pretty tall green pines any damned time...
Yeah, come on up and "Surf Ahia" bro'. ;)
I was with Neck until he got to the part about the alligators. I'll take gray over gators any time.
Bullshitted by Jim - PRS on November 21, 2005 09:31 PMThat's the beauty of living in the South. We get variable weather. Just because it's winter doesn't mean anything. Cold and wet one week, then short sleeve weather the next.
The best thing about cold and wet is it's perfect cuddle up weather.
Bullshitted by Junebugg on November 22, 2005 01:30 AMIt's that cold rain. Cold water just sucks the heat out of you, and with an assist from the wind, it's downright serious. Never underestimate the power of cold water: just ask Jack London.
Bullshitted by Elisson on November 22, 2005 06:48 AMDude, I usually don't comment because you say it so damn well. And, you have done it again, here. I love your writing style, although it does take a bit of getting used to with all the twists and turns, I'm afraid my brain doesn't just turn on a dime like that..hehehe...I must ponder what you've said for some time to let the full of it sink in.
Bullshitted by Kelly on November 22, 2005 08:00 AMBeing a cold weather guy, I have to say 40's is not that bad. I love camping in that kind of temp, it makes for good sleeping at night.
Dammit, now I want to go camping!
Bullshitted by Contagion on November 22, 2005 08:45 AMwell, I THOUGHT I was having fun
Bullshitted by GUYK on November 22, 2005 09:55 AMI know what you mean precisely, I have had two occasions in my life when I was freezing to death ( or so I thought ) one was on a aircraft carrier off the coast of North Korea when they captured the Pueblo,and the temp was about forty belo zero. We went from the tropical Gulf Of Tonkin to that. And once standing watch On the pier, guarding the U.S.S. Coral Sea in San Francisco. It was damp and cold with a gentle but steady breeze blowing and as ordered I was wearing the uniform of the day......BRRRRR.
Bullshitted by Arrathorn on November 22, 2005 10:43 AMMy most hated weather is the North Carolina Blizzard: 38 degrees and pouring rain. UGH!
I'll take 10 below anyday over that . . .
Bullshitted by Chai-rista on November 22, 2005 11:05 AMCold is ok, wet is alright... but cold and wet make for a miserable time... with wet boots... that's what will make it the worse when the boots get soaked through... your socks are drenched... and you still have 3 days to go and no way to dry them...i think that's the most miserable I've ever been in my life...
Bullshitted by oakleytexas on November 24, 2005 08:34 AM