Frosty Frolicking Fix

Sometimes I forget what it was like to live in a neighborhood that almost exclusively required me to use a car. I still rode my bike pretty frequently, but it was a chore to get most places. Even though we lived just outside city limits, I had to travel a busy highway to get into town (or anywhere). Most places we needed to go were at least 8-10 miles one way. It hardly makes for a pleasant bike ride when the time is spent praying I wouldn't be hit by a texting or otherwise distracted motorist. To provide a comparison, our old neighborhood had a "walk score" of 9. I'm surprised that the number was even that high to be honest, as the only places within walking distance were gas stations, a bank, and a few fast food establishments. Not to mention that one would have to walk down the same highway that I rode to get to any of these locations.

*Image from Walk Score

Our current neighborhood has a score of 72. Quite a difference from what we knew for so many years. Considering the city average has a score of 35, I feel quite fortunate to be where we are now. It's not equal to that of a large, condensed metropolis, but I think it's a nice combination to allow for ease of use in regard to both city and rural access.

Since we've been experiencing sub-zero temperatures in this region (which isn't what I expect for early-ish December, despite what the Colorado tourism board would have people believe), I have actually been walking many places (I will bike too, but I avoid doing so during peak traveling hours until local motorists get used to the icy conditions again).  After one of my first round attempts failed miserably and I ended up with painfully frozen fingers and toes, I decided that layers are my friend. It starts with a wool tank top, then a wool t-shirt, followed by a long-sleeved version of a lighter weight wool, then a heavier, mid-weight wool base layer, and a hooded layer and/or coat on top (depending). Sometimes, this is way over kill, but I think I have a system now based on levels of freezing in which I remove certain layers from the combination. I also wear a balaclava, a beanie, and the hood to my coat or other layer. For feet, I have either one extremely thick wool pair of socks on, or two lighter weight versions with lined, snow-type boots. My hands get snowboard/liner gloves, followed by very heavy weight snow mittens. For some reason, my legs tend to do better, even in negative temperatures, so one mid-weight wool base layer under whatever I'm donning for the day (skirt, jeans, etc) seems to do the trick. I will say, I must look ridiculous...but, I'm nice and toasty warm!

As much as I always dread the winter season and its cold temperatures (this year already seems to be particularly frigid), I've actually enjoyed being out in the elements. Maybe I'm adapting to my surroundings, or I've finally figured out (after more than a decade of being here) how to dress properly? Hard to say, but I'm hoping that the layering system will help keep me outside, even through the frosty weeks and months ahead. Do you have any winter-weather tricks that work particularly well for keeping you warm on the coldest days?