Oh, Canada!

I've lived near the Canadian border for 8 years now. Really near. Only ten miles from the line. Despite living so close, I had actually never been to Canada. I've had my passport the entire time, and we often entertained ideas and thoughts of going to Canada, but never took any action.

That all changed last weekend when Jeff, Genevieve, and I took a quick family getaway to the great and enchanting land of Canada!

We had researched and planned a ski weekend at Fernie Mountain Resort, in Fernie, BC, which is about a 5 hour drive from our house. It's actually fewer miles than a trip to Bozeman for us, which is a trip we do all the time. It's funny how being in a different country makes it seem like it should be farther away!

I took a day off of work and we left on a Thursday morning, crossing the border at a teeny tiny border crossing in the rural countryside near our farm- at Whitlash, MT. The border agent was nearly in disbelief that anyone would be crossing at this location. I think he was grumpy that we woke him up from his nap. Needless to say, it went smoothly and we proceeded on to Lethbridge, where we stopped for lunch.

We crossed at the Whitlash/Aden border crossing, which is just to the upper left of the M of Montana on this map.
Our house is between the T and the A of Montana.
It was interesting to enter a foreign country without leaving a gravel road!

Approaching the border crossing at Whitlash.  No lines!

It was really interesting to see the Sweetgrass Hills from a different vantage point.
Our house is directly east of the Hills. This is a view looking back from the northwest, from the border crossing.

We made it to Fernie mid-afternoon, checked into our hotel to get organized and unwind for a bit, then we decided to head downtown Fernie and walk around for a while before grabbing some dinner.

Approaching Fernie. You can see the ski slopes in the background!

If you never traveled with a one year old, let me fill you in on something-- they really aren't big fans of shopping and store-hopping. Genevieve was largely unimpressed with our efforts to walk around.
Until we found a children's store that had toys she could play with, then she didn't want to leave! haha  She wasn't the best dinner guest, either, but we did enjoy the food and atmosphere at a fun little restaurant called The Bridge, which was recommended to us by the proprietor of the toy store.

Walking around downtown Fernie. Super cute downtown!

Sign for The Bridge Bistro, complete with ski chairs.
Quintessential ski town vibe!

Obviously, I had the poutine for dinner because, well, when in Canada, eh?

Poutine is fries with cheese curds and gravy. Mine had bison brisket and mushrooms, too! Yum!

Trying to keep Genevieve entertained any way possible! 

After dinner, we headed back to our hotel for the night. We stayed at Best Western Fernie Mountain Lodge. It wasn't right on the mountain, but it really wasn't far, either. It was a very kid-friendly hotel, with a great complimentary breakfast, too.

The next morning, it was time to head to the slopes!

We checked Genevieve into daycare first thing when we got there. The daycare at Fernie was EXCELLENT.  It was pretty much one-on-one adult to child ratio. Genevieve's adult friend/caretaker for the day was Ellie and she was fantastic! I was super impressed with her caring nature and her attentiveness to Genevieve.  I also loved that they took the kids outside to play during the day, instead of just being cooped up indoors. 

While Genevieve was playing the day away with Ellie at daycare, we were out checking out the sweet slopes on Fernie Mountain! 

Chair-lift selfie!

We saw a pretty good sampler of the mountain as the day went on. We could tell that it's a really great mountain with lots of interesting and varied terrain and tons of powder traps. The biggest issue with our day was that it was really warm and the mountain hadn't had any new snow in quite some time. This meant that it was pretty icy in a lot of places and slushy on the lower mountain. Skiing on ice is challenging and can be dangerous, so we basically kept to groomed trails. 

Jeff is actually in this picture, near the center top, right in the middle of that little gulley.

We did find a few places where the wind had blown some snow and made it a little softer, but about mid-afternoon, it started pouring rain. Rain and skiing don't mix, sadly. Unfortunately, our day of skiing ended a little early. We picked up Genevieve and headed back to hotel.  After some swimming in the hotel pool for me and G, we ordered in pizza from the hotel restaurant, ate in our rooms, and went to bed early. We were all exhausted!

With the weather in Fernie being warm and rainy and therefore the skiing conditions being terrible, Jeff and I decided that instead of skiing our second day there, we'd just head south, back to the States, to Whitefish. We had packed all our suitcases the night before and laid out our clothes so that when we woke up in the morning, we could just get dressed and take off for the roughly 2 hour drive south to Whitefish. 

One last purely Canadian experience before leaving though. A trip to Tim Hortons!

Tim Hortons is like Dunkin Donuts, but Canadian, and super prevalent. They're known for their coffee, donuts, and pastries. We stopped in for a quick breakfast and coffee to go, and a box of Tim Bits for the road. Tim Bits are donut holes with a dubious name. (Right?!?!)

The drive to Whitefish was uneventful and passed by quickly. We were again the only car at the border crossing, this time crossing at Roosville, and on to Eureka. Genevieve slept pretty much the entire drive. Once we got to Whitefish, we got her settled in their daycare, then headed up the mountain!

NOT RAINING in  Whitefish! 

The bottom half of the mountain was a little slushy because it was warm here, too, and the top half was pretty foggy. We decided to head to the back side and thankfully it wasn't as foggy and it was actually SNOWING!!!  The morning of skiing at Whitefish was outstanding, on fresh snow, and not too cold. We had a blast!

We breaked for a quick lunch at the Summit, and back out we went. Unfortunately, the fog had consumed the backside by now, too. We only took one run back there, and then decided to head down to the front.

Here's a view from about 2/3 of the way down the mountain, finally below the fog.

We did find some non-foggy areas to ski, but by this time of the afternoon, they had become slushy. Then it started to rain. So, we called it a day at about 2:00, got organized, and picked up Genevieve to head home. 

It wasn't a bad thing that we left early in the end, because the weather changed very abruptly on our drive home. It plummeted from temps in the mid 40s down to single digits! A winter storm was blowing in and we ended up being very glad we were home on Saturday night rather than staying overnight somewhere and leaving on Sunday morning, which had been our original plan. 

All in all, we had a really great trip and made the best of the conditions on both mountains. Genevieve and I experienced Canada for the first time together, and it was a fun memory made as a family!

Weekly Review through 1/20

Hey Everyone!

Hope you had an awesome weekend!

I'm here with my weekly review of last week in all the Fitness, Farm, and Life news!

We had a great week, which included some awesome family time and winter recreation!

Fitness
Reviewing a bit longer "week" this time, since my last post for week-in-review was on a Thursday. This week was filled with varied adventures, as the weather at home started off in the upper 40s and nearing 50 degrees on Friday through Monday! It was great to get outside. Genevieve loved it, too! Then, this past Friday we packed up for our annual trip to the Cabin near West Glacier, for some fun winter activities!

My ankle continues to feel better, but my hip is sort of staying the same. I think I injured it in overcompensating in my running gait while my ankle was sore. I should have taken time off sooner, rather than letting my hip get so out of whack! I'm continuing to take it really easy on running, and trying to work in yoga and strength activities to get my hip back on line.

Friday 1/11 ~ Stroller Walk/Jog outside! About 2 miles.
Saturday 1/12 ~ Virtual Ride on Rouvy in Lava Beds National Monument, CA.  Great ride for my current fitness level.
Sunday 1/13 ~ Fun family pasture hike outside! Nearly 50 degrees!!!  If you missed it, I did an entire post last week with pics from the hike. So much fun!
Monday 1/14 ~ 20 minutes "Flow for Balance" Yoga
Tuesday 1/15 ~ 35 minutes treadmill hike with minimal jogging
Wednesday 1/16 ~ Rest!
Thursday 1/17 ~ Rest. Hosted a Harry Potter themed baby shower for a dear friend! So fun!

Isn't this cake amazing?! 

Friday 1/18 ~ 30 min treadmill incline walk in the morning.
Saturday 1/19 ~ Downhill skiing at Whitefish all day!
Sunday 1/20 ~ about 2 hours of Nordic skiing at Izaak Walton in Essex!

In sum, I did about 10 miles of walk/slowjog/hiking this week, one ride on Rouvy, 20 minutes of yoga, one full day of downhill skiing, and about 2 hours on my Nordic skis. A pretty varied and FUN week!

We have a "big" ski trip planned to Canada in a couple weeks ("big" meaning just a long weekend), and Jeff and I are very motivated to be in good shape for that so we can really make the most of our time on the mountain! My goals are to do more strength workouts and some more biking in the next few weeks to try to get my legs in better shape, especially my quads, for skiing!

Farm
This was a slow week of farm-related happenings. Jeff had spent the previous two weeks hauling a lot of wheat, and took this week "off" to work on processing some of his wild game harvest. He made tons of jerky and summer sausage! This year, Jeff tried a bunch of new recipes and techniques and I think overall was very happy with the end results. My favorites are the maple-bourbon jerky and the Jalapeno-Cheddar summer sausage.

Life
The major highlight of this past week was the time spent at the cabin! Jeff's parents have a timeshare near Glacier National Park and were gracious enough to share their week with us! We stayed three nights at the cabin, and satellited our activities from there.

Our Home for the Weekend! 

Jeff and I went downhill skiing at Whitefish on Saturday and had one of the best days of skiing we've ever had together! We are both challenging ourselves and improving a lot. We skied a lot more technical runs than we have in the past, and it was really fun! The most satisfying part of the day was ending on a run called "Mully's Moguls," which is an advanced blue (intermediate) with moguls basically from top to bottom. A few years ago, we spent the better part of a day skiing that run over and over, just trying to get better at attacking moguls. This time, we just zipped right down like it was nothing. It was very illustrative of the advancement in skill for both of us!

This doesn't show all of Whitefish by any means, but gives you an idea. We skiedmost of the day off the Great Northern Chair, skiing on the black diamonds near the chair-- Langley, Friends of Langley, Powder Trap, etc. 

On Sunday, Jeff's parents joined us for some Nordic skiing at Izaak Walton in Essex. We always love this little cross country ski resort tucked into the side of a mountain, at an historic train stop and inn. We took one outing as a group and Jeff wore Genevieve in the backpack carrier. She liked it for the most part-- as long as she could see where everyone in our group was! After a warm up in the lodge bar, Tom and Carol took Genevieve back to the cabin for a nap, while Jeff and I took another loop. It was a perfect afternoon!

We took allllllll the winter gear with us! 

I didn't take any pictures of our ski activities. Call me a bad blogger, but I guess we were just too busy having fun!  I did take a few photos right around the cabin, literally as we were packing up to leave...

In a completely different vein, Genevieve has figured out how to climb out of her pack-n-play at nap time within the past few weeks and this has lead her to also teach herself how to climb out of her crib, which she did for the first time at home last night. Needless to say, our evening routine is about to change!  Stay tuned...

What Can You Learn from a Vizsla in the Winter?

What Can You Learn from a Vizsla in the Winter?

Lately, it’s been frigid cold in north-central Montana. We haven’t been above a HIGH of five degrees in over a week now, with the cold temps expected to last through this coming Sunday. As a farmer, my husband follows weather like it’s religion, and he said the cold air is literally air that has come from Siberia.

Needless to say, we’ve been spending most of our time indoors. At school, the kids have had indoor recess for a week now, and my treadmill has been seeing a lot of love at home. Waaaay too cold to run outside with windchills in the -20s or worse.

Harvey, our short-haired Vizsla dog has been surviving the cold as well. Vizslas are definitely NOT an outside breed in the winter. They have no undercoat and their hair is short. Harvey spends most of his time inside anyway, but even moreso when it’s this cold. I started thinking about what Harvey does to “survive” the coldest days of winter, and thought it would make a fun post! There may be a few tips for humans in there, too! 

Bundle Up!

Even though he wears a fur coat at all times (ha!) Harvey wears extra layers when it’s this cold outside. Even if he’s only going out for a short time, he wears at least a hoodie or his wool coat. Sometimes he even wears both! He’s not a huge fan of putting on the layers, but once he has them on, they don’t seem to bother him.

Frankly, I tend to agree. It can be cumbersome to bundle up and pile on the scarves, hats, mittens, coats, boots, etc. BUT I also like to be WARM! Bundle up out there, people!

Harvey wears his wool coat. Actually sort of like a cape. 

Harvey also has two different hoodies just like this one. One red, and one black.
Sometimes we layer his wool cape over a hoodie for extra warmth.

Fortify Yourself

When Harvey comes in from outside, he almost always hits his food dish first. Something about the cold seems to make him extra hungry. Even if it’s just one or two kibbles, he pretty much always gets a snack. I’d recommend the same for we humans! There’s nothing better than a warm hot chocolate, cider, or cup of tea after coming in from the cold.

Harvey was extra spoiled this past weekend, though, as Jeff and I were working on processing deer meat into jerky. Harvey was very interested in what we were doing, and in waiting for the odd piece of ground venison to drop!

Jeff is loading a jerky gun and is about to squeeze it out onto the dehydrator tray.
Harvey is VERY interested in these proceedings. 

Find a Warm Place to Lie

Harvey excels at finding the warmest places to lay down. Whether bundled up on “his chair,” or curled up on the rug in front of the kitchen sink… which is conveniently located right under a warm air vent… Harvey knows just where to go to warm up!

Seriously... look at that face!

He also has already claimed this old quilt I was finishing up as his own. He likes blankets and furniture that are the same color family as his coat, I think!

 

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been keeping blankets in heavy rotation during these cold days. Harvey is onto something yet again!

Exercise Indoors

When temps are sub-zero and wind chills are dangerously low, it’s time to take the exercise regimen indoors. On a typical nice day, Harvey gets at least 30-60 minutes of off-leash exercise pretty much daily, whether running or walking with us outside. Vizslas need A LOT of exercise, and this gets challenging when it’s so cold outside. Harvey will typically go out and “help” Jeff with some farm chores, and romp in the snow while doing so, but this doesn’t really cut a dent in his energy level. We have to get a little creative with keeping him entertained and helping him burn off steam inside.

Harvey does have his toy crate, but frankly prefers plastic water bottles over just about any dog toy you could buy. We’ll toss some of these around the room for him to pounce on and tackle.

Another favorite activity of Harvey’s is wrestling with Jeff, and something we call “back and forth,” which is where Jeff and I each go to different places in the house, and then call Harvey to us. He’ll go tearing at full speed from one of us, back to the other, and back and forth again and again. Preferably, one of us will be upstairs in the living room and the other downstairs somewhere in the basement. Those stairs really tire him out after several trips at full speed!

Once again, Harvey is on to something. Jeff and I have both been exercising indoors lately. In between games of Back and Forth with Harvey, which is in itself fairly tiring, we’re using our treadmill or elliptical and doing other things inside. You can always get creative and find ways to stay in shape, even if it means staying inside.

Distractions

Even Harvey can be distracted from the cold outside by things like Christmas decorating and wrapping presents.

 

Ok… he was definitely more interested in attacking the wrapping paper tube than in wrapping presents! People can definitely stay busy with all the trappings of Christmas, too, and maybe even forget that it’s too cold outside to do anything fun anyway… right?

Settle In for the Night

At the end of the day, it’s always nice to snuggle in to a warm, soft dog bed…

Who am I kidding?! Harvey sleeps in the people bed! It works out great for us, too, because he’s like a little space heater!

Stay warm out there, people! And learn from a Vizsla that the coldest days of winter are survivable with a little creativity! 

Thankful Thursday ~ SNOW!

I've decided to bring back my weekly Thankful Thursday posts!

This week I'm thinking a lot about SNOW and how thankful I am for an appreciation of winter. Honestly, when I hear people complain about winter, I wonder if they've ever tried skiing or snowshoeing. When was the last time they went outside and enjoyed watching snowflakes fall onto their eyelashes? Was it not since childhood when they felt the wonder and magic of snow? When I hear things like, "I wish it wouldn't snow," in my mind I'm thinking, "What is the matter with you!? We want MORE snow!" This is because I have developed not only an appreciation but a love of winter recreation. If you've been following along in the blog, you've probably noticed I've been doing a lot of skiing and getting outside in the snow, so this won't be a surprise.

To be fair, there was a time when I was entrenched in the "Winter Sucks" camp. This was when I was still in college, living in Iowa, and snow and cold weather was nothing more than a nuisance I had to scrape off the windshield when I was running late for work. Yes, snow was pretty to look at, but more often than not, it was in the way.

It wasn't until moving to Wyoming in 2007, to the mountain paradise of Jackson Hole, that a true appreciation of snow and winter weather struck me. That winter was a record snowfall winter with something like 500 inches of snowfall. It started snowing one day in October and it didn't quit until spring. I'm not lying when I say that it literally snowed every. single. day.

What was a girl to do but ask for snowshoes for Christmas and learn how to ski? That first pair of snowshoes my parents gave me got a lot of use tromping around the mountain trails of Grand Teton National Park. You don't know peacefulness until you've been alone in nature on a snowy day.

Learning to ski took more effort. I began on the bunny hill at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, piggy-backing on lesson groups and trying to pick things up here and there. Thankfully, I'd been graced with strong thunder thighs and a natural athleticism that definitely came in handy. I'd ask friends for help and advice, and even some of my Couchsurfing guests. Gradually, things began to click, and I'd notice small improvements each time I went out. One time, a Couchsurfing guest told me that if I could learn to ski any run at Jackson Hole, I'd have no problem skiing anywhere else. So, I made it my mission to do that. Each day off of work, you'd find me on the mountain, working on becoming a better skier.

Riding the chairlift on a recent trip to Whitefish.

I've had my ups and downs with skiing since then. I had a classic ski injury in tearing my ACL, requiring surgery, in 2009. But that didn't keep me from enjoying winter. I rehab-ed my knee over the spring and summer, transitioning to hiking mountain trails in Bozeman. I kept my knee and legs strong and started winter recreation more simply with snowshoeing and Jeff also introduced me to cross country skiing. Eventually, I went back to Alpine skiing. Though I'm still working through the hit to my confidence that knee surgery left me with, every time I go to the mountain, a little bit more of it comes back, one run at a time.

Today, Jeff and I own our own snowshoes, Alpine, and cross country skis. Even though we don't get a ton of snow where we live, when we do get it, it's so great to have equipment on hand to go out and enjoy it, and we're only a few hours drive from several downhill ski resorts in the state. I've grown to adore my cross country skis as I've gotten better at remaining upright on them. I had a mental block that they were "so different" from my Alpine skis and I "couldn't do this," but in the end, I think the balance and basic maneuvering is more similar than I once thought. Credit also a basic mindset switch I've been working on in myself in the past several years.

Taking a break while skiing at Essex.

So, yes, I'm thankful for snow. I'm thankful for it as a means to have fun in a season that used to be drudgery for me. Snow provides a way to get outside, be active, and find joy. Remember the feeling you used to get as a kid when you'd play outside in the snow? Building forts? Making snow angels? Snowball fights? It also lends itself so naturally to feelings of peacefulness and contentedness.  If you take a hike on freshly fallen snow, you'll feel it. You can still have that! All you have to do is get outside and enjoy the snow.

Jeff and I on the trail at Essex.

And if you say something about wishing it wouldn't snow and then you notice me giving you a funny look...well, now you know why! :) I'm on the other side of the fence, praying for more snow, and wondering how many more days I'll have on skis this winter.

Lastly, this quote is only tangentially related to this post, but I liked it. It makes me think about the fears that creep into my mind post-surgery when I'm on skis. What if I fall again? What if I get out of control? A dear friend of mine recently posted this on her Facebook: "Always regulate your fears according to the situation, and then you will not go into the valley of the shadow of death when you are only lost in the mountains." ~ Grace Seton, A Woman Tenderfoot. You have to learn to be comfortable with discomfort and know that even if you are uncomfortable, it doesn't mean you're not in control. Don't give up. Being lost in the mountains can be pretty transforming.

What are you thankful for this week? 
Do you love snow? 
What fears can you better regulate?

Could be a poster for Coors Light, no? Born in the Rockies!
What can I say. Beer tastes great after a ski! :)

Product Review: Wazzie Wool Funnel Neck Top and Gaiter from Oiselle

For Christmas, I received two new pieces of clothing/gear that very quickly became the winter workhorses of my closet. Both are from the Wazzie Wool product line from Oiselle-- the Wazzie Wool Funnel Neck and the Wazzie Wool Gaiter. I'm going to review both of these pieces today in the blog. Spoiler Alert: I'm in love with both of them!! Read on to find out why!

Wearing my Wazzie Wool Funnel Neck from Oiselle on a recent outdoor run!

First off, a little background on what exactly Wazzie Wool is. It's similar to Icebreaker or SmartWool products in that it is a wool blend fabric using responsibly sourced high quality Merino wool. Wazzie Wool is Oiselle's proprietary wool blend fabric that is similar to those other brands. In this blog post from Oiselle, you can read even more background on the how and they why Wazzie Wool came to enter the collection back in 2014: Bird in Sheep's Clothing: Introducing Wazzie Wool.

I've always been a huge fan of wool clothing in all forms. It feels authentic somehow and truly the performance characteristics of wool are outstanding--something I learned about in depth in some of my textile science courses in college. Wool is a great fiber for sports and performance activities because it insulates very well, but best of all, it is inherently "dry" as a fiber. Wool has a somewhat magical property in that when it gets wet it doesn't feel wet, so if you get snowy or sweaty, you don't get chilled. If you get a fine gauge wool fiber such as Merino and blend it with something stretchy and soft like polyester or spandex, you also take away the itch-factor that some people notice with wool and add even more performance characteristics. Boom! Now you have Wazzie Wool! A fabric that performs well, feels warm and soft, and looks great, too.

This season, Oiselle expanded their Wazzie Wool selection a bit to include three tops, bra and underwear set, leggings, and a neck gaiter. I own one of the tops-- the Wazzie Wool Funnel Neck.

Wazzie Wool Funnel Neck from Oiselle Front

Wazzie Wool Funnel Neck from Oiselle Back

Wazzie Wool Funnel Neck from Oiselle Detail of sleeve and back seams.

Besides that this top is made of amazing Wazzie Wool, I love the fit and style of it, too. The style lines and seams are simple but stylish. The fit (I have a size 6, for reference) is good--not too loose, not too tight. I love the long sleeves with thumb hole. The overall length of the top is good at mid-hip. I also really like the color-- Bolt Lightning. It makes me think of fast, powerful running, and, well, also of Harry Potter, which I also love. I like the funnel-neck top because it gives a little more coverage and warmth for my neck and everyone knows that keeping your neck warm goes a long way towards feeling like your whole self is warm.

I have used this top for casual wear, and even have worn it to school, but it truly is made for cold weather outdoor pursuits. I've worn my funnel neck for Nordic ski one day and out for a run the next. I'm pretty sure I even left it in a wad on my bedroom floor rather than hanging it up in between. Even after the run the next day, no stink, no wet, no mustiness to be seen, smelt, or felt from this top.

But it's wool!? Don't I have to dry-clean wool? you may be asking... Nope! Not Wazzie Wool! That's the other thing that the blend of synthetic fibers lends to this material-- supreme washability. I've worn and washed this thing loads of times (har har! loads...of laundry...get it?!) and it always comes out great. Doesn't shrink or change shape and dries super fast.

Even Harvey loves Wazzie Wool...

Harvey the Vizsla loves Wazzie Wool from Oiselle, too! 

The other piece of Wazzie Wool that I own and love is the Gaiter. It's just basically a double-layer tube of Wazzie Wool fabric that you can wear around your neck. I've also seen some people wear it on their head like a really large headband. People who have this item really, really love it, as you can read here in the Ode to the Gaiter written by Oiselle professional runner Kate Grace.

The gaiter is reversible. One side is Bolt Charcola pattern and the other is solid black.

Pretty much if I'm doing anything active outside, I have this gaiter on. It has all the same performance characteristics I've already written about, plus it's double-layered because it's reversible. This means it's even warmer! See if you can spot my Gaiter peeking out in this collage below...

Winter running and skiing made better with a Wazzie Wool Gaiter from Oiselle!

If you really wanted to pamper your pooch, the Wazzie Wool Gaiter does fit nicely on a dog's neck, too, as Harvey models below:

So, what are the negatives of Wazzie Wool? Honestly, not much. For me, the biggest trouble is that I don't have enough of it to wear every day because I seriously think I would wear it all the time if I had more pieces. I get sad when I have to finally succumb and wash my funnel neck because then I can't wear it. But, really, the biggest negative for me is just that it's kind of pricey to buy. The cheapest top, the Wazzie Wool Base Layer, retails on the Oiselle website for $96.00. The Funnel Neck is I wouldn't even say that it's a bad value because I think for the quality of item that you get, the price is reasonable. It's just that I don't have an extra $100 laying around to buy another top. Maaaaaaybe it'll go on sale eventually?!! If I had an unlimited budget, I'd own one of everything of this stuff. Maybe even two or three of everything. It's that great! 

All in all, if you're looking for a fun, warm, comfortable, performance ready piece to add to your running collection, or for casual wear, or to dress up, or... anything, consider Wazzie Wool! It's amazing! It's Katie Bangs and Harvey the Vizsla approved!

Scotch Hats and Cow Chores

Last night Jeff and I went to a ranching event in Dunkirk, MT sponsored by CHS, which is a company from whom we buy cattle supplies such as feed and supplements. Our friend works there and he invited us. Tom and Carol came too. When we arrived, we put our names in to win door prizes and I informed everyone present that I would probably win one, because, well, I win door prizes all the time.

Low and behold, the time for the door prize drawing came around and guess who's name was the first one out of the hat! (There were a lot of prizes, so it really wasn't that big of a shock that I won one.)

My fabulous prize was something I had seen many times but actually never learned the name of until last night-- A Scotch hat.

PayBack is a type of cattle supplement.
Their representative spoke at the event and brought the hats for door prizes.

Scotch hats are also called Scotch caps, I think interchangeably. They are popular among farmers and ranchers in Montana who wear them regularly, without a trace of irony. Perhaps when it's too cold for a cowboy hat?? They are also popular among hipsters and ski bums who may be wearing them ironically. Hard to say. You've probably seen them around.

All the same, I was delighted to win a prize and a fine one at that!

Traditionally, Scotch caps are made of wool and are quilted. The ear flap folds up inside the hat, or can be folded down to protect the ears and keep them warm. Some Scotch hats even have a little pompom on the top. Some are plaid. I've also seen some that have shearling.

Several views of the Scotch cap. 

I tried my hat one right away and it fit really well. It even fit over my ponytail without being too loose or too tight! Fitting over the ponytail is key.

This morning Jeff and I woke up to negative temperatures outside and it was my day to help him feed cows this morning. Perfect opportunity to test out the Scotch hat!

Almost completely layered up and ready to feed.

When it's -10, you put on a lot of layers. I had long underwear, sweatpants, and my over-pants, plus knee-high ski socks on my lower half. Feet jammed into my super-warm boots that are rated to -40. On top, a tank top, base layer, medium-weight layer, fleece, and then my Carhartt jacket. Other accessories were a face mask, sunglasses (which do actually help keep your eyes warmer, believe it or not), and two pairs of mittens. I topped it all off with my brand new Scotch hat, which I wore over another ear band, and I flipped the ear flap down, too. Time to see how warm the Scotch hat really could be!

I'm smiling in this photo-- can't you tell?!

This was the ensemble I wore all through cow chores. Jeff drove tractor and I helped by cutting net wrap off bales. I was outside for about an hour, which is long enough when it's that cold out. Thankfully, the sun was shining and there was no wind or it would have been extremely miserable!

I'm happy to report that the Scotch hat was all that I needed to keep my head warm. It was actually warmer than I thought it would be! My head never got cold. I'm definitely a believer in these hats now and I won't be wearing it ironically!

Have you ever worn/owned a Scotch hat?