The smart money would have been on skipping the movie. Instead, I found myself in the car with DF, creeping toward the Century 16 on roads as glazed as a fresh Krispy Kreme. Freezing rain had been falling for about an hour – maddening, really, since the temperature at our house was 22 degrees. Shouldn’t that have been snow?
Blame the “blast of mid-winter moisture (that) blew north from the tropics,” according to The Anchorage Daily News. My friend Linda B. and I were determined to see “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” on Friday morning and that’s what we did.
It helped that DF is the calmest driver I know, and that Linda B. shrugs off all crappy weather with, “Hey, it’s Alaska.”
He dropped me off on his way to work and she and I enjoyed the film (even though I hadn’t seen the first one I was able to follow along). When we left the theater it was snowing sideways, so we crept carefully over to the Table 6 restaurant and had lunch.
Then came the slippery part.
She had to go to work in a couple of hours and I didn’t want her to have to drive me home first. Why spend more time than necessary on roads that were – to quote my dear father – slicker than snot on a doorknob? I suggested she drop me downtown and I’d use the People Mover transit system to get back to West Anchorage.
The 3:45 p.m. bus wasn’t chained but it rode pretty steadily toward an astonishing sunset that made the cloud layer as purple as a fresh bruise. Fortunately there was still light in the sky – and in the streetlights – when I was dropped off just under a mile away from home. If I’d been willing to wait another 30 minutes I could have taken the route that stops within half a mile, but this way I had a chance to drop in at the post office and check my mail.
Then came the really slippery part.
Navigating the Little Ice Age
A layer of crunchy snow-and-ice carpeted much of the route home. Generally it was fairly walkable, but every now and then I’d encounter a section that looked more like hockey rink than sidewalk. Tippy-toeing across these made me extraordinarily nervous despite the YakTrax on my shoes.
A glance to the right showed that the street was utterly glaciated, without a touch of sand or salt. Thus every time a car crept past I paid very close attention, fearing the driver might lose control. While it was fairly unlikely that a slowly skidding car would jump the curb and hit me, I had no interest in being a headline the next day.
I never fully appreciated the phrase “as independent as a hog on ice” before moving back to Anchorage. When I lived here from 1984 to 2001 icy roads and footpaths were mere irritants. Now they fill me with irrational dread. I’ve got the damn YakTrax and they do work, but I’m still worried about falling.
Probably it’s because a previous ankle injury has left one foot feeling wonky and, yeah, because I’m older. A couple of decades ago I fully expected to fall on the ice. Back then, though, the result of a slip-and-sitdown was merely an achy knee or a sore keister. Now I’m afraid I’ll do myself some real damage.
I marvel at the way my nephews and the neighborhood kids navigate the Little Ice Age of streets and parking lots. They’re sure-footed and fearless. None of them wear ice grippers, and none of them ever seem to fall. DF never does, either.
I need to channel some of that confidence. That, or start using ski poles for balance when I’m out walking by myself. That would make me look kind of lame, but better figuratively than literally, I guess.
Staying indoors all winter is not an option, for reasons of both health and sanity. (And checking my mail.) If walking on sidewalks makes me jittery, imagine what it’ll be like once enough snow falls for DF to coax me out onto the cross-country ski trails. I’m starting to understand why some Alaskans move to Phoenix or Sequim between the months of November and April. You hardly ever need YakTrax there.
Related reading:
- Snowbound, on purpose
- Cold is relative
- Breaking up is hard to do
- 10 personal finance lessons from the Iditarod
I am preparing for a cold weather trip to Illinois this week and have to hunt for appropriate clothing and footwear. I’ve got some great boots I wore in Alaska this summer I think will do the trick. I had a knee issue and am no longer sure footed so I can definitely relate. Walking poles could help give you a bit more confidence navigating icy sidewalks and roads.
I can relate as well…that we are getting older and MAYBE aren’t as confident and “bullet proof” as we once were. MAN…. I went down last winter under similiar circumstances you describe…knocked the wind right out of me. Does tend to make one a bit more cautious…
Yes, the getting older part makes me more cautious now here in New England. I don’t mind the snow at all (driving or walking in it), but the ice always make me think twice about going out. I usually still go out, but I try to be more careful about getting around.
Be careful!
Living in Alaska during the winter, to me, is equivalent to ‘insanity’. I live in upstate New York where temps can be as low as 9F. Ugh. I spend my winters in Florida. It’s the only way I can cope with living in upstate New York.
You are a very brave woman.
Good luck!
Hi Donna,
Wow, you should almost bring along a sack of sand to use for your walk back from the busstop, to spread a layer of sand in front of you as you walk, a bit of a reverse Hans and Gretl.
Be careful, and please do use the poles when the snow comes!
Love reading your blog. Congrats on the mother and daughter winnings at the Plutus Awards by the way!
Thanks, Nancy.
Kitty litter works too and is lighter weight to carry.
My employer provides small plastic bottles of kitty littler for us to carry to get from the building to the parking lot. They also put a box of Yak-Trax by the doors for us to borrow on icy days. The younger folk just run and slide on the ice but us older folk walk very slowly and carefully with the Yak-Trax, sprinkling kitty litter ahead of us.
Smart!
I’m expecting a baby in early April. The first time around, I was due in October, so I really didn’t know what I was getting in to with a winter pregnancy. I figured that after a decade-plus in Chicago, I can handle a little snow whilst knocked up. Well, last night was my first commute home negotiating icy sidewalks and my rapidly-shifting center of gravity, and suddenly my cold-weather street sense is shot and it’s looking like a looong winter. Maybe I should check out YakTrax…
Even generic ice-grippers — surely they’re available in Chicago! — make a big difference.
Oh, and congratulations on your impending miracle.
I have those same fears except they became exasperated after moving to Canada. I have slipped and landed on my knees due to ice. I end up relying more on public transportation than using my car.