Winter Field Day (WFD) Wrap Up.
Winter Field Day was aptly named. The first work team arrived about 9 AM this past Saturday to a 17 degree Fahrenheit temperature at Chester Frost Park with a breeze across the knoll that would cut you in half. The logistics crew of Jeff Martin, Gary Ownsby, and Jim Knight positioned and set up the MCP and firewood trailer without a problem. The problem came along a few minutes later when hands became numb and flexibility all but went away. Jumping back into vehicles and turning heaters on was a mixed blessing. As hands thawed out, the feeling returned only to feel like fire. Once back home, it seemed to take about three hours to thaw out and regain any practical sense of touch. Brrr!
Touching metal objects with bare skin was a definite no-no…just about like kissing a flag pole in the wintertime as a kid. As a Yankee friend once remarked, “cold weather puts a spring in your step and makes you want to get things done quickly”. All so true! Club President Michael Ashmore awakened to a temperature of 13 degrees on his side of the mountain. With a little encouragement, he might just have stayed home but he bundled up and joined the “party”. 😉
We’re sure that Club Vice President David Dickey will be happy to answer the age-old question. That being “Are tents warm in Winter and is the ground actually cold?” :-). He can also tell you that the woodland critters were very interested in ham radio or was that any scrap of food they could find?
The warmth of the shelter fireplace was a welcomed respite though the gusts of wind often blew the heat away despite all efforts to set up primitive windbreaks out of anything available. Those in the MCP found that one electric heater was enough but keeping the door securely closed was a must.
All in all, twenty folks participated in WFD in one way or another. We appreciate everything they did and hope they had fun and great camaraderie.
