-45 degrees (Fahrenheit) of separation

Today about a billion other Minnesotans and I were dancing for joy. People were smiling, the phone was ringing off the hook from relatives who have been hibernating all winter, and my wife and I started our Annual Spring Cleaning.

What’s caused this sudden outburst of celebration? You guessed it; the mercury hit 30 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time in a really long while. It was time to separate from the bitter cold. I was outside wearing shorts and a t-shirt, the sidewalks were filled with joggers, and you could smell the barbecues roasting meat for miles.

This may seem insane to normal people, and I guess it is, but we take what we can get, and anything within two degrees of a thaw is cause for partying.

Just a week ago my 11-year old daughter and I were out on the dog sledding trails of Cook County, Minnesota, mushing our packs along. It was 45 degrees below zero. We pulled on three pairs of pants, three shirts, sweater, parka, two hats, faceguards, goggles, three pairs of socks and Pac boots. We used hand and toe warmers tucked in between the gloves and the mittens and sock layers. We carried a satellite phone in case one of our layers got wet and we needed to call a chopper in for re-supply.

After the dog mushing experience we spent the next two days skiing. The adrenaline kept me warm. I practiced mind over matter self hypnotism, repeating the mantra “I will not end up in an emergency room on this ski trip” and also filled my head with warm comforting thoughts.

I started to feel invincible, so when my girl wiped out and landed in the five foot deep powder of the woods, I just yelled from below her “C’mon, get up! You can do it honey, just figure it out!” After a few moments I impatiently unfastened my skis and walked uphill to hoist her out. It was when I got up close that I noticed that only her neck and head were above the snowline. I spent the rest of the day with my guilt-induced double mantra: “I will not end up in jail for child neglect” and “I will not allow my youngest child to end up in the emergency room today.”

This is how you deal with Minnesota winters. You just do it, as they say, and embrace it wholeheartedly.

I invite any of you readers to visit us next winter to experience the joy for yourselves. Happy Spring!

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