Winter in Alaska

So catching up on a few things...

You know it is winter in Alaska when:

1. The temps get freezing...

(except for lately...we have been 35-40 degrees!!)

2.  Moose start licking your car...

I walked out to my car one morning and saw this:

MOOSE TRACKS (not the ice cream flavor)

leading up to my car:

look at all those tongue marks

I know I have blogged about the "moose lickings" before, but I just can't get enough of it! I think it is so funny that they like to lick the dirty cars so they can get a little of that salt flavor! 

Then Christmas night we saw them at it again:

I never realized how tall moose were...

3. Hockey is under way...

About a month ago, me and Devin got to go with Lane's hockey team to Glenallen. It was such an awesome trip and I am so glad we got to go. We spent the night in the school and it was about -25 below out and.........the games were outdoors!!! It looked so beautiful and made me wish that everyone could experience this Alaskan adventure that I am on. Such a neat day to be with family, be outdoors surrounded by the beautiful Alaskan winter landscape, and watching some good hockey on an outdoor rink. Those things make me love Alaska, even if you have to wear 8 layers (I am not even exaggerating...that's how many layers I was wearing). Take a look:

In between periods, we had to come in to the school just to warm up. It was too cold to stay outside and wait for the ice to be "zammed." So I made use of the heating vents and warmed my gloves and hand warmers! 

Devin and I wore "bunny boots" to try to keep our feet warm. I didn't know what "bunny boots" were before I moved to Alaska. Let me enlighten you with Wikipedia's article, because it is actually quite interesting:

Bunny Boots is the widely-used nickname for the Extreme Cold Vapor Barrier Boots (Type II) used by the United States armed forces. The liner-less bulbous boots retain warmth by sandwiching up to one inch of wool and felt insulation between two layers of rubber and are typically worn with one heavy wool sock. These boots were originally developed at the Navy Clothing and Textile Research Center in Natick, MA USA for use during the Korean War.

Bunny boots in a hallway in Point Lay, Alaska.

Originally designed for the military, such boots have become staple cold weather gear both in civilian work and recreational environments. Bunny boots are very popular in Alaska.

The white boot is designed for use in extreme cold weather from -65°F. The Snow Shoe Rabbit, commonly found near Ft. Greely AK, is responsible for the nickname. During the fall the rabbits' fur changes color from brown to white, allowing it to blend in with its winter surroundings. As winter gets closer, more and more rabbits appear with their new white "boots", hence the name bunny boots.

I didn't believe that they were anything special... but let me tell you that they WORK! I just wore a little bit of layering on my feet and my feet didn't get cold ONCE the whole trip. My upper body with 8 layers got cold, but not my feet. Devin had to say "I told you so" because he has always loved "bunny boots" and I just thought they were ugly. They are SUPER heavy though...so not your ideal boot for hiking up a mountain. But I tell you what, your feet are not getting frost bite in those things.

I was telling my mom that you know it is cold out when you walk outside, and the hairs inside your nose freeze... it is such a strange feeling. You breathe in through you nose, and then you kind of have to scrunch it up and wiggle it around because it feels so funny having the inside of your nose frozen. 

It was so cold that I would breathe into my scarf, and the perspiration from my breath would freeze onto the threads and so my scarf would then be cold against my face. Overall, we had a really enjoyable time. It was quite the adventure!

Here are a few more pics from our trip:

Happy Winter!