On Winter

Snow is not dangerous. Even ice is do-able. It's when the ice is starting to melt and there's a slick layer of partially melted ice-water on the top that problems happen.

Having lived my life in the beautiful deserts of the southwest, I am arguably experiencing "winter" for the first time. The first day, I observed the snowfall from my window, and it was beautiful. Just like the postcards and Christmas cards and TV commercials promised! I was so excited, I was taking pictures and going from window to window to see what else had been coated with a fresh layer of Mother Nature's white out. I stayed inside that day, and the next, and thoroughly enjoyed what I thought was "winter". The first day I went outside it was warmer, and I realized that there's a reason everyone takes pictures and does paintings on the snowfall days. The other days are treacherous! Now, I've showered with scorpions, camped with rattlers and raccoons, hiked out into the desert alone and I'm still alive to tell the tales. But one day out in the snow and ice and I was hard-pressed to go out again! After fishtailing in my ill-equipped car (also of the desert-ready variety) and landing on my bum like something out of a cartoon, I was hard-pressed to want to go outside again until March. I was terrified. After all, everyone knows that ice is dangerous, right? We all hear about black ice in driver's ed classes, and movies, TV shows, and comedy skits always have people slipping on ice. So here's the lesson: it's not the ice that's so dangerous, it's the thin layer of water on top of the ice that's dangerous. It's the same thing ice skaters use to skate, but without the proper conditions (a rink, experience, and proper footwear) we walking winter wobblers look like something out of a vaudeville movie. What to do! Some things I have found helpful are:

1. Stay on dry surfaces if possible. If not, then surfaces covered with loose snow is better than ice.
2. Stay off of packed snow and ice, like the heavily-trafficked areas of a parking lot - this creates an icy sheen and is hard to walk on.
3. Snow and ice melt faster on grass, gravel, and other natural surfaces. If sidewalks are icy, go for these - the gravel adds traction (like cleats from the ground up) and the grass means there's soil underneath to soak up melting ice.

Obviously these won't work on everyone for every condition, but if you can avoid looking like a Three Stooges skit, do whatever it takes! Anyone else have tips? Post away!