invasion of the mole people

going outside to play is just so much better if you have to wear specialized clothing for it.

i think i have mentioned elsewhere that i am a gear weenie. so. polypro base layers: tights, two shirts, one midweight, one fleece. wool socks, hiking boots, snowpants.

not just snowpants; they have to have suspenders, snow skirts, slashpads, and reinforced butt and knees. gaiters, of course. the kind that hook over your boots like spats. very stylish.

soft wool hat, soft neck gaiter. glove liners. gloves with idiot loops, rubberized palms, and gauntlet length with drawstings -you guessed- to keep out the snow.

jacket: this is my geocaching jacket, but it doubles as my digging in the snow jacket, which is pretty much what winter geocaching is all about, anyway. it also has a snowskirt. the idea is to keep the snow out. it's amazing how much happier you are in super cold weather if the elements simply can't get in.

so it takes me twenty minutes to get dressed, but once i'm outside, i am READY.

and what am i doing outside? building a really spiffy snow cave. if you are, like i am, extremely claustrophobic, this is a fun winter activity, espectially when you get to the point in your construction that you have to get ALL THE WAY IN to dig, but you don't yet have enough room to really move around.

and of course the entrance has to be teeny. you have to go in and out on your belly.

half of my nightmares involve being in some small space where the only exit is small enough i have to go on my belly.

if you are claustrophobic you can have extra fun with this activity if you use your imagination and pretend you have been swallowed by an avalanche and have to dig space around you so you can breathe.

my favorite tool for digging right now is my really spiffy dakine two-handled snow-scoop. if i think of it later, i'll take a picture of it for the slideshow.

slideshow, you say?

of course. 

it'll update with the construction.