We come from some pretty hearty stock. My father grew up in Bathgate, North Dakota, 5 miles south of the Candadian border with nary a hill nor a tree grove for miles to break the northerly winds. He spoke of going to school on a sled wrapped in blankets, pulled by an ox. He said the snow drifted up to the eaves, and sifted through the roof and walls as hard blizzards blew. They had to tunnel out the front door. He didn't exaggerate. That was well nigh a hundred years ago.
Now, earlier this week came the descending polar vortex to drive record low temperatures through the Great Plains, down into Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, as well as above into the Midwest and then into New England. People suffered cold they had not felt in decades; for many that meant the coldest outdoor temperatures of their lives. But wherever they might live, no matter how cold it has been, it could have been worse.
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| Frozen turkey bowling, International Falls |
My cousin Margie still lives in the far north. She has resided in Littlefork, Minnesota, which is 21 miles south, southeast of International Falls, Minnesota, for almost all of her 82 years. Life doesn't stop when the temperature drops in International Falls. The big news up there this week is that Keith Aili of nearby Ray took third place in the second annual Gichigami Express Sled Dog Race. The International Falls Journal reports,
The vortex that has locked almost the entire United States under subfreezing temperatures created an air temperature of 31 below zero with a wind chill of 63 below as teams of mushers and sled dogs took off toward the finish line.
“It was really cold,” said musher Ryan Anderson of Ray, who placed fourth in the second annual race.
Keith Aili, also of Ray, took third place in the event while Amanda Vogel, another Ray musher, dropped out, or scratched, after the first day.
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| Keith Aili, of Ray, took third place. |
Aili and Anderson were among 10 teams that persevered through the bitter cold to reach the finish line in Grand Portage on Monday afternoon, when temps had warmed to 17 below zero with a wind chill around 40 below.
Musher Buddy Streeper of Fort Nelson, British Columbia, won the race followed by John Stewart of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Amanda Vogel explained why she dropped out. It seems snow was the problem.
Vogel said she struggled with the decision to scratch from the race after the first day, but knew the health of her dogs took top priority.
“Their feet were getting really beat up,” she said. “Given the timing and the goals I have for the season, it was the right thing to do... I’ve never pulled out of a race. It was really hard to do.”
With the soft trails, Vogel said the dogs’ booties were filling with snow causing “snowballs” to form on their feet. She said dogs can then overcompensate for the built-up snow, which can lead to additional injuries. With a small kennel, the musher said she has little room for injured teammates.
“I have 13 dogs in training. One is at home recovering,” she said in a post on Facebook about her decision to scratch. “ I have no room for error. I am concerned that continuing to train with trail and weather conditions would be too big of a risk to the dogs in terms of recovery time.”
Vogel said her team is tough and would have finished the race for her, but losing their trust was also a concern.
“I didn’t want to ruin their trust,” she said. “That race was for fun and for training – the dogs weren’t having much fun.”
I looked up temperatures for the first week of 2014 in Littlefork, so we could review and digest and feel all warm and cozy by comparison.
Monthly Planner for
Littlefork, MN
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| Hi | -11°F |
| Lo | -38°F |
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| Hi | -4°F |
| Lo | -42°F |
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| Hi | 11°F |
| Lo | -13°F |
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| Hi | 10°F |
| Lo | -21°F |
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| Hi | -17°F |
| Lo | -30°F |
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| Hi | -19°F |
| Lo | -30°F |
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| Hi | -8°F |
| Lo | -27°F |
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Source: The Weather Channel, www.weather.com.
Littlefork had but two days when the temperature edged above zero. The lowest daily low was -42°F on January 2nd. Four out of seven days the mercury drop to 30 degrees below zero or less.
Let's compare to Little Rock, Arkansas.
Monthly Planner for
Little Rock, AR
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| 1 |  |
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| Hi | 55°F |
| Lo | 27°F |
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| Hi | 50°F |
| Lo | 26°F |
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| Hi | 36°F |
| Lo | 18°F |
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| Hi | 48°F |
| Lo | 21°F |
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| Hi | 55°F |
| Lo | 18°F |
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| Hi | 23°F |
| Lo | 12°F |
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| Hi | 38°F |
| Lo | 10°F |
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In Arkansas, temperatures were right around normal on the 1st and 2nd. By the 6th and the 7th the polar vortex brought temps 15 to 25 degrees below normal, but still 40 to 50 degrees warmer than Littlefork, Minnesota.
And so it goes. Good luck to all.
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