Almost 8 months

I realized today that i'd been here almost 8 months. AND I'm surviving one of the worst winters in YEARS. Yay me. Honestly though, I really could deal without the -60, just sayin'.

5 day forcast for me.

Details

Today

Jan 29

Mon 30

Tue 31

Wed Feb 1

Thu 2

Partly Cloudy	Sunny	Sunny	Partly Cloudy	AM Clouds / PM Sun
-11°FHigh	-14°High	-14°High	-18°High	-8°High
-19°Low	-23°Low	-21°Low	-24°Low	-22°Low
Chance of Snow: 20%	Chance of Snow: 10%	Chance of Snow: 0%	Chance of Snow: 10%	Chance of Snow: 10%

Wind: NNE at 20 mph	NNE at 21 mph	N at 17 mph	N at 18 mph	N at 11 mph
Humidity: 91%	64%	75%	73%	86%
UV Index: 0 - Low	0 - Low	0 - Low	0 - Low	0 - Low
Sunrise: 10:13 am	10:10 am	10:08 am	10:06 am	10:03 am
Sunset: 5:48 pm	5:51 pm	5:54 pm	5:56 pm	5:59 pm
Moonrise: 11:02 am	11:15 am	11:34 am	11:59 am	12:37 pm
Moonset: 1:49 am	3:06 am	4:21 am	5:34 am	6:38 am

My Right Hand...

This is "A", my Right-Hand at work and her 6-8 week old German Shepherd puppy, Brutus (he's much bigger now)

Panic

I couldn't fall asleep last night and was curled up on my couch reading when i heard a clicking sound from my heater (a Toyo Stove, a new INDEX was added to the sidebar for people/places/things to reference to). I flipped on the light only to find it flashing a code... CL:10, then CL:9... 2 am on Sat when it's -60 out is NOT the time for something to go wrong with your heater. So i jumped off the couch and ran around trying to find the heater's instruction manual only to figure out that it goes through an automatic cleaning cycle everyday at 2am and I've just always been asleep and in my bed and hadn't noticed.

Even better than finding out your heat really wasn't going out at the worst possible time of the year, that brief moment of panic took all the fight out of me and i passed out moments after turning out the light.

Out in the cold

So i learned a valuable lesson last night. Don't OVERdress for -55 temps.

I helped a co-worker move last night. We loaded up a truck, a big van, and 2 SUVs. We had a 3 year old up WAYYY past her bedtime- you know that overtired but hyper because there are tons of people in your house and you're finding new toys as things are packed away.

I suited up in fleece-line firehose pant (think Carhartt or Deluth thickness), Wool socks, my big fleece-lined boots, cuddle-duds ski underwear shirt, fleece jacket and then my winter coat topped off with a pair of thinsulate work gloves, wool scarf to pull up around my nose and a merino wool hat with ear flaps.

Let me put this in perspective. It was -55. So cold that my car locks wouldn't work when i used the fob and my radio wouldn't work until the car was fully warmed.

Multiple trips in and out in the cold and i was sweating and feeling pretty gross. I also had to run 'Lil Bit back to my place to pee cause she didn't want to go in a potty that was filled with poo. she had to go so bad we couldn't even put her snowsuit back on (one of the full-body kinds that zips up the leg) so I wrapped her in an adult coat, threw her in my warm truck and back down the street to my house where i found an alpaca wool sweater to wrap her into for the trip back down to her new place.

At 11:30 we were done and dispersed. I was sweaty all over and needed another shower (even though I'd taken one 4 hrs before).

Now it's -63 with windchill and no change in sight for days. I'm staying inside till Monday if at all possible.

I met a woman back home who'd lived here in Bethel back in the 60s and 70s. It was before internet or cable were out here and not sure if they had a radio station or not. One year it got to -100 for 2 days. So cold she sat with her oven on and her feel propped on the door even with the regular heat on. Cross your fingers it doesn't get that cold.

My Fresh Produce - Thank you Full Circle

Even colder - how is this possible

ambient: -30, windchill: -47

It feels like -50!!!

So it's -27 with -50 windchill... -50 PEOPLE. Do you have any idea how cold that is?the LCD display in my car won't turn on!!

Oh, and apparently -50 windchill is when school is usually cancelled

KUSKOKWIM 300, pt 3 of 3

Some teams opt to have a snowmachine pull them back in the beginning instead of using their brakes

Pulling hard and enjoying every minute of it

Out of the start - in the Dark

 

Teams stagger out of the game in groups of 2. 2 teams here.

2 teams

The path was lit by truck light, most on their running lights, but some on all the way (it helped get better pictures)

Believe it or not, this was after the start of the race. You get the sunset in the distance though

Someones truck all lit-up

Sign in Race Headquarters on Friday night - Not sure where it's normally posted.

  

All pictures were taken while standing outside in -10 degree with about -30 windchill, while standing on 5-8 feet of ice over a flowing river

All Photos taken by Erin B.

KUSKOKWIM 300, pt 2 or 3

Traditional Parka

Those patterns are NOT cloth, the entire parka is fur

Beautiful

Front of Start/Finish line

Lining up at the starting line

First team out... don't the eyes look a little creepy?

A little bit of snapping at each other out of the gate.

The snow-cloud being kicked-up is the the Musher using his breaks at the beginning to

All photos taken by Erin B