Bengfort.com

In like a lion… March has proved to be one of the worst weather months for us here in North Dakota for this winter, and we haven’t even reached the Ides yet! On Monday, a storm began that promptly gave us a foot of snow, and Tuesday rapidly became a blizzard as snow continued and winds started blowing at around 45 MPH. If you stood outside you would probably feel like it was -40 Fahrenheit, although the real temperature was closer to -5. Needless to say the University closed on Tuesday, and was opened at 10 AM on Wednesday (closings of the university are probably the best indicator of weather severity, it rarely happens, and the University will be open, even when the interstates are closed!)

Looking back, I realized that I haven’t blogged a lot about surviving the weather here- and I do get a lot of comments on Facebook and Twitter, especially from friends on the West Coast about how to survive these extreme colds and weather conditions, so I thought I would at least get one post going on the topic. They say here that there is no such thing as bad weather- just bad gear. Welll, at least they say that to me. However, my number one survival tip is this: don’t go out! That hasn’t been necessarily easy with my commute, because often roads and interstates are closed by drifts and blowing snow, but the University still doesn’t close. On Wednesday, I couldn’t make it into school because the interstates were closed, and I was forced to stay at home. By the way, if you drive on a closed interstate and get caught- that is a $1000 fine and jail time!

On more than a few occassions I have been forced to get a room in Fargo to ensure that I make it to school, or because I simply cannot reach home because of the weather. However, for driving, my truck is packed with the following items to get me unstuck or to survive:

• Snow Shovel (for digging yourself out)
• Sand (weight for grip in the bed, but also for traction when you are stuck)
• Blanket, -30 degree sleeping bag, warm hat, boots, gloves (all extra).
• Chocolate (for energy in case I can’t get out).
• Survivor candle – a candle that burns for hours and creates both warmth and light.

Of significant importance I’m told, is that if I get stuck- don’t get out of the car, don’t try to walk anywhere. Pretty much that is a death sentance- wait to be found. In addition, I never go anywhere or begin one of the legs of my trip with less than a half a tank of gas- that gas will keep heat running and you don’t want to be limited by the amount, not to mention, gas is weight that gives you traction!

In the end, it’s cold, but I’ll survive. My wife did it for what I can only imagine were the longest 18 years of her life! Needless to say, we will certainly be planning on living somewhere warmer after I have recieved my degree!