It’s almost December and we need a good blast of arctic air to chill our bones. No, really. I’ll explain it later and you might just agree with me.
I didn’t make it to the Creek this weekend, too much weekend. Sometimes it is easier to get to the Creek on a two day weekend, the three and four day weekends usually come with plans that curtails a visit to Indiana. I am told Zugford was there, Sner, Angy, and I was not. Angy is still in North Carolina, I was cooking for hundreds at the Miamitown Christmas Walk, and Sner was busy doing Snerlike things. It’s a shame, because it really was a nice weekend to be at the Creek. I’m sure Zuggy enjoyed the warm weather.
It’s no secret that I like the snow and cold weather. There are obvious reasons: No skeeters, ticks, gnats, or other insects that like to make you feel buggy. Less ice to buy, your drink stays cold. The air is cleaner, fresher. Green is pretty, but fall colors and fallen snow and ice in the trees is even prettier. The fires are bigger, ambiance fires are cute, but blazers that warm the bones are devine. There isn’t any grass to cut, most of the work is cutting and spitting firewood, and its nicer to work hard in cooler temperatures. There is great fun: four wheeling, sledding behind the four wheeler, hiking the trails, walking across the pond, ice fishing, and more. 
Okay, let’s be fair, there are some downers: It’s cold out. Less people visit. Sometimes the driveway can be a challenge to get to the top. Nothing is worse than a 35 degree rain.
Given the good and the bad, I have learned to enjoy the good and easily deal with the bad. It starts with good equipment. Good insulated boots and gloves, Carhart bibs and jacket over jeans and a shirt and sweatshirt. It’s a little cumbersome, but I stay warm and my feet stay dry. No one gets cold at the Creek, we always have a fire and plenty of places to go and get warm if your clothes fail you. The LoveShack is always toasty, much warmer than my house on the Whitewater. You should never–never be cold. It’s not like you are somewhere and can’t go and get warm. We have warm places all over the place.
Since all the bugs are gone, and you won’t get cold, you have the ability to really enjoy the Great Outdoors in the Winter months. You could be a Winter camper at the Creek! Don’t believe me? I offer proof: Ask Angy and the Dude I was a Winter camper since Boy Scouts, so was Sner and Zuggy. We went on Winter campouts and they were the best memories of camping. I camped in Ontario in December where the snow was four feet deep, we used snowshoes to backpack into the woods, and never touched the ground for 5 days. Angy was never a Winter camper, and had doubts about being at the Creek on cold weekends. We got her the right equipment, she learned how to stay warm with a big fire or toasty LoveShack, and now she sees the beauty of being outdoors in the Winter. The Dude is another story. We duded him up with Carharts, boots, and gloves and he never complains about the cold. What he likes is the early nighttime, enabling him to go to the LoveShack earlier and watch Octopus vs. Shark. No complaints here. Angy actually told me she likes Winter camping over Summer camping, and it has to do with the lack of bugs and the heat.
What we need is a cold snap. A real hurtful blast of arctic air to chill our bones, make us cower in a hot shower to get warm. Here’s why: We have had it pretty good, warm days, cool nights, with a taste of what is coming. It will continue to get colder each day, slowly chilling your bones more and more. It will go on until mid January or early February when the ice age will knock on your door and you won’t answer because you will be standing in front of an electric heater in your living room.
Several years ago, not too long ago, we got some arctic blasts in early December, high temperatures in the teens for about two weeks. It was cold, way cold for early December. But we toughed it out and by Christmas it was 25-30, still below freezing. Since we had seen the cold stuff, we were used to it and the rest of the Winter was sweatshirt weather. Getting an early blast toughens you up and you are ready for the rest of the Winter. We need that now, and Winter won’t be so cold.
Snow is fun, and we had a lot of both last year. I think with all the snow we got last year, it was one of the best Winters I can remember since I was a kid. They (who is they?) are predicting a wet Winter, with possibly a lot of snow. I can’t wait. Remember equipment? I have a four wheel drive pick up and Jeep, with a generator at the house for the really bad storms. I’m ready for Winter–Bring it on!! I’m pumped!!!
Okay, I’m back. The point is that we have to look at this cold, dark time of year as an opportunity to get out and smell the frozen rosebushes. Embrace this change of weather as something that is interesting and fun. And do it at the Creek. We will keep you warm. We will stoke the fire and raise the thermostat at the LoveShack. We will hike the trails. We will cut donuts with the four wheeler, walk across the pond, and enjoy the beauty of a fresh fallen snow. We will get you up the driveway, no one has ever been stranded at the Creek, but even that would be a good time.
Embrace the incoming Season. I will. Join the enjoyment with me at the Creek.
