Will I ever be warm again?

image credit: Anne Taintor

This afternoon, I returned home to Vancouver from a weekend in Tacoma at the state track meet. I have been to the state track meet six times now, and all I can say is, this was BY FAR the worst one on record. Even worse than freshman year when my throwing arch-nemesis beat me by one inch and I got 5th! I had no idea a worse state track meet was even possible, but I was very wrong.

When we arrived on Thursday afternoon, things appeared relatively normal, though slightly overcast. As the afternoon wore on, the clouds rolled in and the sun became obscured, and it became necessary to don a sweatshirt or light jacket. Still, with the unpredictable weather we have been experiencing lately, I think the general feeling in the community was that the clouds would blow through and we would be back under sunny skies shortly. This was not to be born. Rain began falling as the sun set, and our team took refuge first under our orange canopy, then, as conditions worsened, in one of our large eight-passenger vans. As soon as the evening's competition ended, we rushed back to the hotel and cranked our room heaters on high, confident that Friday would dawn fresh and bright.

Ahh, the naivete! Friday was a long, wet slog through running, jumping, and throwing events, with athletes, coaches, and spectators struggling to stay dry and warm. As we affixed more tarps to our canopy and squirmed into more layers of clothing, it began to dawn on us that we had gone from being at the state track meet to being on a really crap camping trip.

If I were to make a list of my top five most hated activities, camping would likely be in the top three. I hate, hate, HATE being cold! This is troubling to me because, as I mused aloud multiple times this past weekend, I am, in fact, moving to ALASKA in 2 short months.

This is what I'm in for...do you think I can handle it?!
http://www.wunderground.com/US/AK/Stebbins.html

P.S.: Yes, I knew when I signed my contract that it is really cold in Alaska and that I am a wilderness wimp. It's no use complaining about it...I just keep telling myself, "it's ok...you're getting PAID." ;) That one warm, happy thought will get me through the coldest of cold days, I think.