July 7 2005

Temperature-70.4 C -94.7 F
Windchill-89.4 C -128.9 F
Wind 6.7 kts Grid 127
Barometer 669.5 mb (11027 ft)
Lunch: Fish and Chips
Dinner: Beef something again

Yesterday we had temperatures at or below –100 degrees F with winds between 0 and 8 knots, perfect conditions for the three hundred club. For nearly 50 years this place has had the stupid tradition of heating one of the saunas to 200 degrees F on –100 degree days where people would sit in the sauna for as long as they couldand then run to the pole and back. Yesterday I joined the long list of the stupid.
On my way to dinner my friend Clayton who was heating up the sauna for his fourth run of the day, asked if I had done “it” yet. I said no but I was thinking about it, and he said, “If you want we are getting ready to go in 45 minutes so feel free to join us.” I went to dinner thinking “oh sure” run naked outside. At dinner, one of Jodi’s friends told us he did not get cold and it was overrated and that we ought to think about trying it. I finished eating, headed down stairs, and ran into Clayton again, he said, "Are you ready?" I thought to myself, “ What the heck!” I went to my room, grabbed my hat, neck gaiter and glove liners and headed for the sauna.
Kelly, Steve, Clayton and I sat in the sauna for about 15 minutes. The temperatures did not feel bad at first until we dumped more water on the bricks. Then it became unbearable and we decided it was time to leave. I stripped off my underwear, donned my hat, neck gaiter and glove liners and hiking shoes and we ran down the hall to the stair tower entrance all the time holding one hand in our arm pit and the other covering our crotch. (The veterans say hand placement is critical because it keeps the runner from freezing his finger tips, nipples and ding ding . Not wanting to have to explain how I had frostbite in the most sensitive of areas, I took the advice seriously.) We ran down the stair tower where it was –80 and out into the –100-degree outdoors. I do not remember much about what it looked like other than noticing that everyone looked like a ghost or a cloud floating across the landscape. Steve and Clayton carried lights so Kelly and I could see and Steve’s girl friend Sarah waited for us at the pole with another light and the camera. (We did not run but walked because the veterans had informed us that running will cause the person to freeze their lungs and make them hack and cough for several days. One guy last year coughed so hard that he cracked several of his ribs, so again I thought I would try the walking route.) Surprisingly it was not very cold and we covered the 50 yards with little trouble. Clayton arrived first and stood in front of the pole spread eagle while Sarah snapped a picture, then Kelly in a more modest pose and then me. Steve decided he would recreate the scene from “ Ice Bound” and danced around the Pole with Sarah. I did not stick around for his dance but followed about 20 yards behind Clayton and Kelly.
Many times while paddling rivers, I experienced a sudden moment of anxiety when I looked ahead and saw what dangers lay beyond. I had the same feelings while standing there feeling cold and sensing the hairs on my body freezing and looking at the distance between safety and me. It was hard to remain calm and not panic. I managed to remain composed and walked the distance in the dark all the time trying not to trip over the drifted ice. I reached the stair tower entrance and could feel my skin getting tighter and my muscles getting cold. I entered and ran up the flight and half of stairs into the warmth of the station. I looked down and saw that all the hairs on my body were covered in ice and it appeared I had become part yeti and part man. I sat in the sauna for another 5 minutes, dressed and grabbed a beer to celebrate my membership among the stupid.