Christmas season is a cold one this year. Today, 12/27, I braved the frigid temps and headed out for a 40 minute walk with Willow. And you know what? It really wasn’t that bad!
So what does one wear on a walk in December in interior Alaska at -48 below zero? Dressing with the right gear is key (no da, right?). I’ll begin from the top and work down:
The head and neck zone: this is a critical area for obvious reasons. The command center is in the brain which we want functioning at all times and not freezing into a mass of fatty gray matter tissue. Many of us have heard the horror stories of people getting so cold they feel hot, then start tearing off their clothes, and are sadly found dead and oddly are almost naked from head to foot. I’m pleased to say, that did not happen to me today!
On my head I first don a bandanna pulled snugly on up over my head- this keeps the little hairs along my face from fraying out and freezing up- which usually ends in them getting broken off.
Then I place my wool hat on my head (the one I have now is a lovely hand made one from my sister in law who owns Elmer Farm in Middlebury, Vermont).
Next, I pull 2 neck gators on that situate around my neck covering my face and nose, then finish off the head with one more gator on my head- on top of my hat and over my ears for extra protection. My neck gators are made of thick fleece- the best there is, and they are made by Nantz Rood in Vermont who owns and operates Great Hat.com. Be sure to check out her awesome, groovy hats. She doesn’t make the gators anymore since her hat business is such a great success, but will for me since my husband is her nephew! These gators are the best I’ve ever worn. They’re thick, extra warm, super durable, and wash really, really well. This last feature is SO nice- as you can see from the photo above- quite a bit of moisture comes out of ones breath, and the gators can get sort of….well, gooey with breath moisture after a few uses!
That takes care of my head and neck. On my torso I wear a tshirt, long sleeved shirt (usually cotton), and a vest, plus on a cold day like today- I wear my heavy duty, down North Face parka. My entire get up is shown below.
On my lower extremities I wear a thick pair of REI fleece pants (Oh…by the way, I am NOT getting any kick backs from anyone here…but I do like to give brands because it’s really helpful for other people when shopping for what really works). Over the fleece pants, I wear a pair of Columbia snow pants, and hiking weight smartwool socks on my feet.
My latest, greatest addition are my new Keen winter boots equipped with Thinsulate so my feet are now warm AND comfortable with supportive foot beds. I use to only have 2 options for cold winter footwear. Military bunny boots or my Keen hiking summer boots. My feet use to freeze in my hiking boots- for obvious reasons. They are not made for winter use, but summer hiking. The bunny boots are great for standing around or going snowmachining. But, they are not good for walking far and have zero support. These were made years ago and are no longer manufactured, but they are super warm- and a real foot saver if one ever gets their feet wet in overflow during winter travels.
That’s it! It only takes about 20 minutes to suit up (haha), but at least I’m warm and can get some fresh air.
What’s Willow wear? She’s easy- only 2 things:
- her collar
- booties- these are lightweight cloth socks that fit over her paws and secure on her legs with velcro straps (we gather these up from the Iditarod sled dogs that drop them along the trail each March during the Last Great Race.) These keep her feet from getting frost bite- and when it’s below -25 we put them on her.
Alaska Wilderness Mom 