We wrote three words to describe the trip when we got home. A week in the mountains, seven days in one of my favorite places in the world, all those hours basking in the cleansing glory of nature, and all we had to say was: it was cold.
We wore jackets all day long. When it sleeted when hid in our tents and bundled into our sleeping bags. We ate dinners huddled close together around the table, leaching warmth from each other. We stayed in bed late and returned to bed early. It wasn’t that we were ill-prepared for the low temperatures, it was that we weren’t expecting it to be so cold for so long.
There is an energy sapping strength to the cold. It drains away your joy. It funnels away your focus and motivation. It removes all else so all you can think about, all you can see is it.
I didn’t remember the deer who walked through our camp until I stumbled upon this picture looking for photos to share for NanoPoblano. We had never seen deer just walk through camp before. They came in because the camp was much quieter than normal. The camp was quieter because we were the only ones there. We were the only ones there because it was so cold everybody else had either packed up and left or had decided not to come in at all.
Perhaps we should amend our notes from this year?
It was cold, and while that has certain perks they aren’t worth it.
I read the above to the Queen and she amended: It was cold, and while that has certain perks they aren’t worth it “unless we pack our snowboard gear. Nobody told me to pack snowboard gear!”
Whoops. My bad.
The Matticus Kingdom 