Saturday, December 30, 2017

The Feeling of Walking in -25 ℃

I went out this morning and it was really cold but it seemed that the extreme cold doesn't stop people from getting out. They go out but not on foot, mostly! They drive! And these days majority of people either drive an SUV or a van! There's barely anyone who drives  sedan unless he's broke or he has a modern sedan with good winter tires on. There are some in between. 
I wasn't out for a long time. I wanted to do a quick shopping and then spent an hour or two near the store in a McDonald's and worked on my volunteer job. 
In the evening though, after hours of sitting at the damn desk I decided to get some Olives for my salad. So I walked to a local grocery store for about 15 min. and bought some. It was not so bad. Then I decided to have a longer walk. That was not bad either. I was out in -25 (without wind-chill) for nearly 45 minutes
This picture is not clear but you can see the Owl almost in the centre
While walking on the sidewalk before getting myself to Bow River Pathway, I was about to pass a pillar and immediately after I passed, and looked at the corner, as this is my usual habit, I was taken aback! There was an Owl just sitting at that corner! It was looking at me and I was looking back while I couldn't get my eyes off its! I then stopped to take a photo of it but I was afraid to get close. If it had been injured or just simply sick of the extreme cold, it could have gouge my eyes out! So I took a photo from distance and the result (as you see here) is not great! 
I continued the walk and saw a few Snow Rabbits which is normal in the city even in other seasons. I wonder how they survive the winter as there's barely anything to eat. There was barely any cars on the roads. Let alone pedestrians! I was fine in trunk and arms and even feet and legs. The only part of my body which was feeling cold was my face. I didn't put my Balaklava on. The walk took between 21:35 and 22:20 which is probably not a very good time in this temperature, for an evening walk but it's not bad. Give it a try tomorrow night because that would be your last chance for a while. The temperature will be going up, according to Environment Canada (that you their forecast in the main photo of the post). I will have a walk again tomorrow and most definitely on Mon. There will even be a chance of jogging or skating on Mon. 
(Photo, top: Environment Canada's website shows tonight's temperature as well as the forecast for the next 4 days)

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