1712_3588 Coldest Day of the Year
December 31 was not only the coldest day of the year in our area, but in the entire province of Saskatchewan, bottoming out at -44.2C (-47.5F). Against my own better judgement, I did a long solo drive through the park, punctuated by very brief excursions outside (leaving the engine running). This was brutal cold: grim to the brim. Undeniably beautiful, though!
And my camera kept working. Today's DSLRs are not as rugged as the old film cameras (I'm specifically thinking of Nikons now, especially the old Nikon F) - don't ever drop one - but I find them surprisingly reliable, in terms of functions, even in extreme weather.
A side note: nearby Val Marie, where I live, also had the hottest temperature recorded in Sask last year, 38.5C (101.3F). A temperature swing of 148.8 Fahrenheit degrees - the most extreme climate variance I've ever experienced in one place. It was just as cold in Whitehorse during my one Yukon winter, but summers didn't get as hot. I must add, however, that it's a dry heat... and a dry cold, too. Does that make it bearable? No.
One night last summer I hiked - at midnight - up to a high ridge in the park and had a nap under the stars, fanned by cool breezes. I woke up, checked my pant legs for rattlesnakes, and hiked back, my path lit by the moon. These days I go to bed with a book and a heating pad, under a pile of quilts and blankets, and sleep very well. We adapt. The benefits of living here outweigh the discomforts, by far.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2017 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
1712_3588 Coldest Day of the Year
December 31 was not only the coldest day of the year in our area, but in the entire province of Saskatchewan, bottoming out at -44.2C (-47.5F). Against my own better judgement, I did a long solo drive through the park, punctuated by very brief excursions outside (leaving the engine running). This was brutal cold: grim to the brim. Undeniably beautiful, though!
And my camera kept working. Today's DSLRs are not as rugged as the old film cameras (I'm specifically thinking of Nikons now, especially the old Nikon F) - don't ever drop one - but I find them surprisingly reliable, in terms of functions, even in extreme weather.
A side note: nearby Val Marie, where I live, also had the hottest temperature recorded in Sask last year, 38.5C (101.3F). A temperature swing of 148.8 Fahrenheit degrees - the most extreme climate variance I've ever experienced in one place. It was just as cold in Whitehorse during my one Yukon winter, but summers didn't get as hot. I must add, however, that it's a dry heat... and a dry cold, too. Does that make it bearable? No.
One night last summer I hiked - at midnight - up to a high ridge in the park and had a nap under the stars, fanned by cool breezes. I woke up, checked my pant legs for rattlesnakes, and hiked back, my path lit by the moon. These days I go to bed with a book and a heating pad, under a pile of quilts and blankets, and sleep very well. We adapt. The benefits of living here outweigh the discomforts, by far.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2017 James R. Page - all rights reserved.