Preparing for a harsh winter

Ever since I moved to Burns Lake in late July, whenever I get asked how I’m liking the change, my answer is always the same; I love it. Lately though the usual sarcastic rebuttal I get from people around town is: Just wait until winter comes.

I’m not going to lie to you, I’m a little scared.

Let’s be clear about something, It isn’t like I moved here from Florida. Toronto can get pretty cold in its own right, especially living right next to Lake Ontario which I did, where the wind coming off of the lake feels like knives cutting your skin.

I also spent four years living in the snow belt in Quebec, where temperatures of -40 degrees Celsius and multiple feet of snow are a regularity during the winter months. Having said all that though, I’m definitely preparing myself for the harshest winter I’ve ever faced.

The general consensus from asking around is that winter in Burns Lake isn’t anything to trifle with, and that’s putting it politely. My landlord even told me a story of being snowed in a few years back. He said they had so much snow that they literally couldn’t leave the house for days.

So far, my experience in Burns Lake has been swimming in lakes, playing basketball outdoors, going on walks, and just enjoying the beautiful area in general. Now that October is officially here, it’s time to start thinking about how I’m going to go about dealing with the winter season.

First up, I made sure I was on top of getting my winter tires in time. Everyone I’ve talked too has told me not to wait too long to get that done because appointments get booked up fast, and the last thing I want is to be skidding around on ice in my, for lack of a better word, piece of junk Pontiac G6.

Another one of my worries was how I’m going to deal with plugging my car in every night to make sure it starts the next day, something I’ve never had to deal with before. Luckily, my landlord has graciously offered a spot in his garage during the winter, so that’s one more box I can check.

As for clothing, I’m nowhere near prepared. As of right now I own three sweaters, two windbreakers, and my one down jacket is back in Toronto, so that won’t help me much. I do have a couple pairs of boots ready to go, and I’ve even been given the advice to purchase snow shoes. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.

For now, I’m going to enjoy every second of decent weather I can get before preparing myself to brave the cold and snow that Burns Lake has to offer, but if anyone has good tips on how to bundle up please don’t hesitate to throw them my way.