Cold is cold

It is definitely winter in Columbia Falls, with more and more snow, low temperatures and a cool breeze moving the snow around. It is even more so on the North Fork. Trail Creek, without a doubt, has more snow and lower temperatures than Columbia Falls. One night last week, residents were competing for who had the coldest night. First reports were -19, but the next report was -20 and it finally bottomed out at -23.

I don’t think folks are spinning yarns or exaggerating, thermometers just vary a little. Besides, who among us can tell the difference between -15 or -20 by standing on the porch for 15 seconds? Cold is cold and we have had enough of it that even the cross-country skiers are ready for a break.

As usual, the County Road Department has done a great job grading the road. Even so, Saturday it was reported that a car had been abandoned on Wurtz Hill. It is generally good advice to just hunker down during a snowstorm. The county will wait until the snow stops, and so should you.

Besides the risk of getting stuck, if you have to abandon your vehicle, you will be at risk on foot and your vehicle could become a traffic hazard.

Even powder snow can be a problem. As you push snow over your bumper, it can build up on the radiator and cause the vehicle to overheat. Even worse, snow can pack into the engine compartment and short out the battery or block the air filter. These things are more likely with small, compact 4X4s, but I have seen plenty of full-size pickup trucks stalled in the middle of the road, blocking traffic in both directions.

Play it smart, hunker down with a good book until the storm passes and remember, the homesteaders often stayed on their homestead all winter without the radio service we have today, never mind satellite TV and internet.

Some folks really enjoy winter outdoor activities like cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The whole community turns out for a softball game on snowshoes. I used to laugh just thinking of John Frederick trying to run on snowshoes. With John watching, my imagination thinks about Lynn Ogle, but I have learned not to challenge him. He really is an excellent athlete. Maybe Tommy Diossy.

Whatever, snowshoe softball is great fun, either to participate in or watch. Or, you can just imagine me running on snowshoes. You may imagine it, but you’ll never see it.

Larry Wilson’s North Fork Views appears weekly in the Hungry Horse News.