So does anyone else ever go camping in the mountains this time of year? I never did until this season. Tent camping, I mean. I camped at Arkansas' Petit Jean Mountain on New Year's Eve and the night before and it got fairly cold; mid 20s the second night. I never would have guessed I'd actually like camping in weather like that but I do. A good campfire can keep you warm when it's below freezing so long as it's not windy. If it is windy, then you need to be inside the tent either under blankets or with a heater going.
What surprised me at Petit Jean was that even Jin, my little Chinese Crested dog, seems to like a good fire on a cold night. Most small dogs hate cold weather, or so I always thought. I expected her to want to be in the tent, under the cover all the time, but she enjoyed playing and laying x the fire.
I believe this park is probably the first mountain park I've ever visited during the winter. I was struck by the effect the barren trees have on the scenery. We enjoyed a sunny day of hiking and got some good pictures (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v226/berberry/2012-01-01%20Petit%20Jean%20State%20Park/?start=all).
So this next weekend it's Cheaha Mountain State Park in Alabama. Forecast lows are 41 Friday night and 25 Saturday night. Can't wait!
So what kind of cold-weather outdoor stuff do you like to do?
I tend to drive around a lot and take pictures in strange and inclement weather.
(//www.aaroads.com/shields/blog/photos/048173.jpg)
Damn, you're lucky! I've never seen those, although I was in Chicago once when they were visible but I didn't know it. A couple years ago they were visible as far south as Tupelo, but even that latitude is about a hundred miles north of me. Some strong solar storms are supposed to be coming in a few months, as I understand, and some scientists say that we might catch a few glimpses here in the South, if we're really lucky.
Quote from: berberry on February 09, 2012, 02:59:47 AM
Damn, you're lucky! I've never seen those, although I was in Chicago once when they were visible but I didn't know it. A couple years ago they were visible as far south as Tupelo, but even that latitude is about a hundred miles north of me. Some strong solar storms are supposed to be coming in a few months, as I understand, and some scientists say that we might catch a few glimpses here in the South, if we're really lucky.
last year, they were visible from the Grand Canyon. it was just an indistinct red glow, but still.
Back in October they were supposed to be faintly visible here, but that night was cloudy. There are lots of lights around here anyway so it would be hard to distinguish the northern lights' red glow from regular skyglow with even minimal cloud cover.