The Blizzard

This past weekend, "Old Man Winter" assured us Minnesotans that he can still pack quite a punch. And I thought the Christmas Eve storm last year was bad... Most of us will probably remember this year's bruising blizzard as the storm that conquered the Metrodome.  Yes, this storm proved too much for that unmistakable white puff roof we're so accustomed to seeing in the Minneapolis skyline.  And yes, this storm postponed the Vikings game and provided additional media fodder of the Vikings' season, one amazing collapse after another (See also "Brett Favre," "Brad Childress," etc.)  But as for me, in addition to the Fall of Dome, I will also look back on this weekend's blizzard with fondness, for in spite of the blizzard's ability to freeze a town like Dawson in place for 24 hours, it was also the occasion of one of the most intense walks in recent memory.

In the mood for some adventure, Rebecca and I bundled up and prepared to brace ourselves for a two mile (round trip) walk from our apartment to church. This meant I would be happily reunited with my one-piece blue snowsuit courtesy of Grandpa Doidge - a new favorite winter outfit of yours truly. As for Rebecca, she too was breaking out a favorite winter apparel item: her light blue "puff coat" as she so endearingly refers to it. Warm and hermetically sealed - leaving only the skin around our eyes exposed - we embarked on our journey.

By far the easiest leg of the trip was from our apartment to church - a stretch which took us straight south, with the wind at our backs for most of the walk. Despite the cold temperature and blowing snow, we encountered little to no difficulty - save for a few wind zones in which walking backward was necessary to avoid wind-burning the corneas. The best part of the walk was when a 40 mph wind gust hit us square in the back, launching us forward with the same intensity as the 'Metrodome wind tunnel effect' whenever you exited the stadium. You could always look forward to that feeling, win or lose.

As far as our return trip back to the apartment - well, that was when we got to experience the full impact of this blizzard. Walking into the wind 90% of the way home was, in a word, awesome. We knew exactly where we needed to go, so the fear factors were on the extreme low end. We employed a 'trust-walk' strategy where I walked backwards out in front of Rebecca, facing her in order to block the wind. This allowed for Rebecca sneak glances around me to see where we needed to go. We held hands while walking this way, which kept us stable, confident and connected. There was one miscue in which I fell backwards over a snowdrift - no doubt giving the ONE driver we encountered all day a pretty good chuckle. But, we made it injury and frostbite free. Man, feeling the force of that wind was definitely a highlight. Talk about whiteout conditions though - I don't know how a person could drive in a storm like that. It was just kind of fun to get in a little adventure before retreating to the confines of the apartment for the remainder of the storm.

I can definitely understand why there are "storm-chasers" in this world. As often as I've scoffed and scorned such people for their audacity to risk putting themselves in harm's way - like hurricane force winds and whatnot, there is something to be said about human vs. nature scenarios like this blizzard walk which kind of give me an adrenaline high. Now granted, we were in "harm's way" in a very, very low risk situation, it's not as though we were climbing through waist-high snow drifts both ways or anything - but feeling the wind at your back like that, wow - that's something I'll never forget.

Again, I am not suggesting you all go out amidst a Minnesota blizzard and try your hand at power walking for pleasure. Rather, I suggest you don't let old man winter keep you locked up all season - find some kind of outdoor activity and get out there and face the elements - even if its the grueling task of snow shoveling. There is something unusually satisfying about having survived and thrived during these frigid Minnesota winters. I mean, without our crazy weather patterns, we natives would have absolutely nothing to say to one another! What do people in Arizona possibly have to talk about?  It's December 13th and there is already two feet of snow of the ground. Looks like we're in for a lot of talking over the next three months. Bring it on.