The Big Freeze

As I forced open my door, a few inches of snow fell into the doorway, and I knew something was very wrong. The air was different. Crisper. Cooler. My toes tingled as I trudged through the sea of white powder towards the kitchen. I went to fill the kettle. "Water's frozen," said Jason. This wasn't looking good. The whole team gathered in Wolf Kitchen, but no-one dared go outside. It was too cold to work, but deep down we knew it had to be done, or else our animals would suffer. The pitballs were running around the compound in an attempt to get warm. Romeo was hiding in the doorway, terrified of the dogs barking at his fence. I sat down in an attempt to calm him, but after five minutes, I had to leave. I couldn't stay still for that long. I climbed the hill towards Nola's. Their water bucket was frozen stiff. A few kisses warmed my cold face, but my toes weren't in good shape. I noticed that the bandanna around my face had gone hard where the moisture had frozen, and had to get back down to the warm. I saw Leyton, and he confirmed our worst fears. We were in the coldest place in America. Colder than Alaska. And we still had work to be done...

Looking down onto Wolf Kitchen in the snow

I was stood in the middle of the campground, carrying cut wood to the truck. Alex was sawing a felled tree for firewood. A job that needed to be done, but my chest was cold. It wasn't painful. In fact, I felt rather snug in all my layers. But inside I was frozen. It was as if my heart had turned to ice. I had to get back. I stood in front of the fire in wolf kitchen, which of course, kept going out.  The puppies were coughing and spluttering outside. The poor pitballs were frozen. We had to do something. I elected to take home Peanut. The pitballs were assigned homes. Katie took the smallest puppy. I ensured a fire was roaring before heading off for dinner. Hopefully it would stay lit. I watched the clock as I ate, thinking of poor Peanut. Thinking about the walk home. Katie checked the temperature. -22 Celsius. We had to leave. Now. I grabbed my leash and headed to the enclosures. It was dark when we tried to put a collar around Peanut. He kept running off, and it was far too cold to be standing around. Finally I reached Katie's and had to ask to come in. I'd been outside 10 minutes and already I couldn't feel my toes! I was tempted to stay the night, but wanted to try looking after Peanut at home. I found it hard to breathe as I raced through the maintenance area. The cold mountain air was too thin to breathe. Finally, when we got back, the fire was still hot. The logs took easily and heated up the room. Peanut slept most of the night on my bed. This was extreme. I felt as if we'd spent the day on red alert. Hunted by the weather. I had new found respect for nature as I slept. If we didn't look after ourselves, keep the taps deiced, wood cut, food accessible, we were all vulnerable. Welcome to the high desert.

Flurry with an ice beard!

No kiding. We really were in the coldest place in America! I've never experience cold weather like that. It was odd. We weren't allowed outside for more than an hour without coming in to get warm. I was out nearly two hours doing firewood, and is most likely why my core felt so cold. Even now, at the computer in the volunteer kitchen, my toes are numb! It was exciting though. We all came together and ensured we looked after each other and the dogs. Even Leyton came in during the evening to say thanks for our hard work. Proof that during times of difficulty humans come together. If only we could show the same kind of care and respect for one another on a daily basis!


We made it to Ancient Way Cafe before all the fun started. It was a great venue. Set against the mountains with a proper wooden chalet look. The food was amazing also. I had beef brisket salad with honey mustard dressing, followed by a slice of seven layer cookie cake. I recommend it to anyone.

Back at the sanctuary, I had a fun experience involving a deer and a chainsaw... We had no hunters meet, but they did have a dead deer for us! We had to cut off it's legs so that we could feed it to the wolves! We shall be feeding it tomorrow, so I wont miss out on my day off today. It was surprisingly easy to sever once you knew where to cut, around the bone, through the soft flesh. Interestingly enough, everyone flocked out into the cold to observe and help out!

Hopefully the temperature will increase soon. It's still cold today. The taps are frozen once again. I can't even have a shower! Looks like I'll be staying inside all day watching Supernatural!