As a side note to a previous message about weather, it’s going to be fascinating to see what happens when I get home in one weeks. I’ve known people who have moved to Newfoundland after living in the arctic and they swear they can handle the very cold, but very dry, temperatures up here better than what Newfoundland offers. St. John’s gives you just below 0, but with sharp winds filled with moisture that can slice through the best of winter gear. The damp gets into your bones and settles there.
Newfoundlanders also frequently tend to be, well, macho and stupid about how we dress for winter. “It’s only a bit of cold. What are you getting dressed up for?”
So if I were to wear my arctic clothing home – heavy coat rated to -70 and boots rated to -100 – I would be laughed out of town. Not to mention I don’t know how well they would handle the damp cold. Plus you tend to break out in a sweat wearing these things once the temperatures goes warmer than -20.
So for the return trip home I’ll be wearing the fall coat I got recently, a fleece underneath it and my hiking boots. I’ll bring a light pair of gloves, probably a stocking hat and maybe a scarf (Although I am considering buying one of these hats when I get home. Comments?). That should probably do. But I will be curious to see if in January I get home and find that -30 in Iqaluit is much more preferable to -5 in St. John’s.
There was some talk back a few months ago about Newfoundland bloggers getting together for a drink during the holidays. I appreciate that most Newfoundland bloggers can get together whenever they want, but the theory being that a few of us who are in exile will be home for the holidays and the gathering will be larger.
I think there was also some mention about ex-Expressers getting together for a drink as well. I should send out some e-mails. Or if you happen to be one reading the blog, drop me a line.
Anyway, the theory seemed to be that things might be less insane for people in the gap week between Christmas and New Years. The dates being rattled around are between Dec. 27 and 30. If people are still interested in getting together for a drink, let me know if those dates are good and where is preferable. I tend to always pick the Duke, but that’s me. If there is another place that preferable, feel free to suggest it.
3 comments:
A practical addition to your outdoor wardrobe would be a large baggy waterproof shell to go over it all. Temperatures above zero, with or without precip, are a real possibility.
The explorer-type guys in my family love their Tilleys to death. Definitely worth the cash.
you have a party to go to on the 29th. Keep that night free.
Dups
No offense to Sir Hillary, but Tilley hats (as well as the clothing for that matter) always remind me of middle-to-older-age-speaks-the-queens-english British tourists who dress like they think they're going on deepest safari when they're really just strolling around town. Like the dude I saw with a hiking stick (and tilley hat) walking around signal hill.
You get a similar thing in Vancouver, lots of people who never leave civilisation (hell, they probably wouldn't wander into the downtown east side much less the mountains) dressed to the nines in gortex and everything trendy equiptment cult can sell them.
Oooh, I'm in cynic mood;)
Mireille, who's having difficulty commenting under her blogger id.
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