For those of you who don’t already know, I live in a temperate climate. Continentally speaking, this means warmer summers and colder winters. We regularly hit 40C (104F) with the Humidex in the summer, and -40C (-40F) with the wind chill in winter. As you can imagine, most sane people are out walking in the summer temperatures rather than the winter ones. But me? Oh, no. I have to be different.
Not by choice, mind you. More by circumstance. Specifically a circumstance that goes by the name of Charlie.
Charlie is my baby. All 127 lbs of him. He’s also half husky. You know…the breed born to pull sleds across frozen landscapes by day and burrow into snowbanks for ‘warmth’ by night? Yeah. That kind of husky. Essentially, this means that Charlie doesn’t tolerate heat very well. While he’s still happy to walk pretty much anytime, he truly suffers in the summer and prefers the cool of the air-conditioned basement to just about any other location. Except maybe the mud holes he finds to cool off in when we’re out in the woods…
But I digress. Back to the cold.
Charlie loves the cold. Charlie lives for the cold. Charlie does not, however, like to be out in the cold by himself. Put him in the back yard, and he sits on the porch and sings a lament that makes me thankful the neighbours have their windows closed. This, of course, means someone has to walk Charlie.
(Note to the Universe: when I said I wanted to be someone, this wasn’t quite what I had in mind…sigh)
Anyway, long story short, having Charlie as a companion means having to go outdoors on days when I would much rather be hugging the fireplace. It also means decent winter equipment isn’t just a luxury, it’s a necessity. And so hubby got me these for Christmas:
They’re not pretty. They’re not feminine. But for the first time ever, I went walking in a -36C (-33F) wind chill and my toes didn’t go numb. In fact, these babies are rated for–are you ready for this??–minus 100 degrees Celcius (-148F).
I know, right?!? A number like that positively boggles the mind. 😯
Personally, I can’t even conceive of such a temperature, but if it ever does get that cold here and Charlie wants to go for a walk? By cracky, my toes (if nothing else!) will stay toasty warm! 😀
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