Alaska v Northern States in America

As this column is penned, winter conditions in Sheridan, WY and all surrounding areas are arctic. Over two feet of snow has fallen; the actual temperature is -2 below, but wind chill with gusts of 50 miles per hour reduce the temperatures much lower, estimated at -25. Reminds me of Alaska.

Today, a short walk of eight blocks was required to get some essentials from the local Holiday Convenience store. Normally, that would be a nice stroll, but today, had to remind myself that arduous journey was possible, fueled by determination and necessity. Thank goodness for a good ole Carhart jacket, warm mittens, muffler doing double duty as a headband and face cover, knee-high winter boots, not quite tall enough for the snow.

Do you know that ten minutes of exposure to such conditions can cause frost-bite? Luckily I can make it to that destination in eight minutes, warm up and hustle back home in time to avoid that.

No wonder, Sheridan is currently in distress, all roads leading into and out of this city closed.  Everybody with any sense should stay home. That leaves little time for plowing streets or shoveling snow off sidewalks.

These conditions are affecting a wide region across America. Maybe Mother Nature is angry or back to old-time tricks.

An old saying goes: the only thing separating northern states of America (Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota) is a barb-wire fence. That does not do a dang thing to keep the snow and cold winds up North where they originate.

To encourage myself for these relatively small hikes, I think about my Cheyenne ancestors, about 140 years ago walking in similar conditions, sans Carhart jackets, mittens, or snow boots.  If they could that, I reason, a measly sixteen blocks are no cause for whining.

I also think about our current day relatives who are homeless. Hopefully, they can find shelter, keep warm and get food to eat. During the cold times, bodies require more calories to maintain body heat. Shivering takes the sap right out of you.

Going back to Alaska. During times like these, which is almost all the time in that winter clime, it is not uncommon for some Native people in urban areas like Fairbanks or Anchorage to freeze to death. During the winter I spent in Fairbanks, where wind chill and actual temperatures dipped to -70, there were usually at least two victims of hypothermia each week. Quite often, Natives. Since the villages there are “dry” with very little shopping opportunity to get the basics, Natives will save up money to come to Fairbanks for a week or so, usually renting a motel room and then enjoying their time in town.

Unfortunately, sometimes when wading back to their motel after a fun time at the Mecca Bar, Native gathering place, they waded through thigh deep snow, sliding over slippery icy sidewalks, etc., sometimes deciding to take a little” rest, in a doorway or other sheltered area. Sometimes that turned into an eternal rest.

I also think about our many relatives in Rapid City, Billings and other urban areas who are homeless and may not be able to secure a warm place to sleep, settling for tent camps along the creek or seeking an out-of-the-wind doorway, hunched within a sleeping bag.

One of my cousins who was homeless in Billings gave me a tutorial about how to survive such situation: it requires a good sleeping bag, a mat to keep the cold cement at bay, a small butane burner and of all things, tampax for fuel, apparently slow burning, a source of heat in a very small space. All these things must be carted around during the daytime in a big backpack.

The trick, he explained is not to fall asleep but stay awake to tend the small source of warmth. He woke one morning to find a person lying beside him who had opted to keep warm from a pint of Vodka and froze to death. To survive on the streets, a person must be extremely resourceful. And, I think, very strong.

Once again, I place a call to those in authority with the wherewithal to help with this problem. It is a very real one. To those caught in this dilemma, it is not just a social problem, it is day-to-day challenge and literally cold reality.

Since those officials are ever warm and cozy, I doubt they have big enough ears or enough empathy to hear this concern. They probably cannot conceive of that situation. It is one thing to think or talk about it, entirely another to endure it.

It is quite common for people in authority to think that homeless people opt for that choice, being lazy, drunk, drug addicted, on the dole, taking advantage of social programs and so forth. While that may be true of some, it must not be applied to the majority. Sometimes bad things happen to good people.  My cousin, for example, is not a bad guy. Sometimes he makes bad choices, but neither does he have much opportunity.

I, for one, call bull shit on the sort of thinking which casts all homeless people as derelicts.

In Alaskan winters, the standard greeting is, “Are you keeping warm?” The standard farewell is “Keep warm.” ‘T’is reality sentiment.

I hope that you and our less fortunate relatives “keep warm”, during this bitter winter, both in body and spirit. This is a harsh cold column, but right now that is all I can think or write about. Until next week.

(Contact Clara Caufield at acheyennevoice@gmail.com)

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