Prior to today, the coldest temperature I’ve ever had to deal with was 19 degrees in a Manassa, Colorado winter where my truck froze solid and I couldn’t open the doors. It was 14 out today in Montclair, but once past the initial “fuckinghellitscold,” I just dealt with it. Everyone else was dealing with it anyway, so stop whining…
You’re one of us now!!!! Though I must say that there wasn’t much snow in those pictures. . .
Although the Midwest and Alaska are generally colder, and for longer periods of time, the East Coast has its moments. I’ve been to Alaska twice, both times in the dead of winter, but by far the coldest temperature I’ve ever experienced was in Killington, Vermont, in January 1988. I was up there skiing for a few days, and on the third or fourth day it dropped to minus 24 degrees Fahrenheit–too cold to hit the slopes. The manager of the inn had us remove our car batteries and store them in a shed. Going outside was downright risky, and you couldn’t really do so much longer than a few minutes. The only safe way to venture outdoors was to cover every inch of one’s face covered; otherwise, you ran the risk of freezing up your lungs and incurring instant frostbite. I had one of those neoprene face guards, a handy device that I’ve long since lost. By contrast, the coldest day I encountered during my February 1995 Alaska sojourn was in Fairbanks–a balmy 10 degrees above zero Fahrenheit.