Deep Freeze

I like/dislike the deep freeze.

This morning it is 9 degrees out. What a change from yesterday. I know the temperature will drop a bit when the sun hits the horizon.

[Hooray! My neighbor woke me up plowing our driveway this morning! Looks like I'll be doing the cleanup this afternoon with the skid steer.]

However.
Yesterday was full of adventure. I took advantage of the 'snow' day to take more than one walk.
I went early while it was still snowing, down to the creek and enjoyed some quiet time next to the creek.

I only found two tracks where deer had moved. They normally stay put in a sheltered spot until the storm is over.

With this frigid cold snap the grasses along the creek will form ice fingers as the water splashes and freezes on them. Roots, branches, grasses, all form beautiful little fingers of ice.

If all goes well, I'll have to go out and see if I can find more developed ones!

I need to dig around in my husband's bib coveralls and see if I can't find a pair for my neighbor who must have been freezing his tush off this morning while plowing.
I thought he'd like to try them to see if they are something he'd wear while out on his tractor during these frigid days.

Rich doesn't use any of his anymore and he has several pairs. Uh...oh. That means I'll be sort of cleaning up and organizing in the basement too!

Cold 'Nuff for Yah?

The wind chills are something to be concerned about as NOAA explains on their site....
Wind Chill is the term used to describe the rate of heat loss on the human body resulting from the combined effect of low temperature and wind. As winds increase, heat is carried away from the body at a faster rate, driving down both the skin temperature and eventually the internal body temperature.

That said, it is important to make sure you are bundled up properly when you go outside in this weather.
A pair of driving gloves and ear muffs are just not going to cut it.

Not when skin exposure to the air can create frostbite in 10 minutes.

However.
I did go hiking and as you can see, I dressed for it.
I was extremely comfortable and actually had to be careful not to get too warm!

I took my cameras in a backpack that I stuck a 'handwarmer' in.  The warmer helped keep the cameras' batteries from getting too cold.

And when I did use a tripod and the fingers were exposed, I was able to stick the handwarmer in my mittens -- mittens with fingers.

When I got out of the slight breeze...which was causing all the chill factor, I was able to hike through the creek bottom without gloves on.

At 3pm the sun had exited the valley where I was walking but still lit up the trees above me on the ridge.

The glow reflected on the water was well worth it.

If you are wondering why this is not frozen over, it is because this stream has several springs and the water will run.  
In other places it does freeze over but the water still runs underneath the ice.

The shot above is looking back from the previous photo.

As the sun got lower casting the whole valley into shadow, I headed back.

I felt warm and comfortable and even had to walk a bit slowly while climbing the hill.

I didn't take Morris with me as I was pretty sure he'd walk in the water and get his feet quite cold.

I found it interesting that aside from some squirrel tracks, rabbit tracks, and some mouse tracks, there had been nearly no activity since the cold hit.

And then I wondered if I was the only idiot that was out and about!

On the ridge the windchills were -25 give or take.
When I got home hubby asked that wonderful question:

"So Honey was it cold enough for yah?"