What does it take for you to cancel an outing?

[Engineer61]

"Yah, that's an interestin' one, Engineer61. Goes to John-in-KC's point. Out west it's really funny, because yeh have people who live at lower altitudes and by and large never see or experience snow on da roads as a regular part of life. So they go up into da mountains and hit snow or ice and are often incompetent."

 

There aren't many drivers out there than can handle packed snow, ice or black ice on a 7% or 8% grade for 7 miles....up or down hill.

 

Usually the closures are to keep the professional drivers off the hills...the rest of us are smart enough to stay home.

[qwazse]

"Beautiful snow here, treacherous ice and freezing rain there." -- so my campingless streak is extended once again. The SM and I spun our gears over this one up until just now. We decided to postpone pulling out last night. Our departure time was set just at the beginning of the advisory yesterday, and folks at camp said that the freezing rain did not start until well after we would have made it to our cabin. We could have gotten there and been stuck until tomorrow which would have suited us just fine. Now, it's a sheet of black ice for miles around camp and nothings moving.

 

The adult in me says gotta respect our drivers. The kid in me is surly and ill-tempered. I was looking forward to throwing that espresso pot on the wood stove about now, but instead I shoveled snow (fighting the dog the whole way for the shovel) while son #1 cooked up some pancakes and a decent cup of coffee (fairly strong, and with none of the Missus' vanilla flavoring to stink up the whole place ). Guess I'll stay and work on my WB ticket, and try to stir up some youth to have some fun in this snow ...

 

[FScouter]

What is different about "ice" from "black ice".

[Scoutfish]

"What is different about "ice" from "black ice".

 

The difference is this:

 

Ice is on the road as a whitish color. You see it, you slow way down ( if you have any sense) and driver very, very cautiously.

 

Black ice is when you are driving down the road and woder why you are suddenly sliding sideways, spinning around in circles, or find yourself parked in ditch.

 

Black ice is when the ice freezes so clear, that you cannot see it on the roadway. Thus, all you see is the "black" pavement beneath it.

 

[Twocubdad]

Black ice is when running water or freezing rain freezes to the road leaving a clear glazing. It's difficult to tell if it's ice or just water on the road. Compared to sleet or slush.

[FScouter]

Tires make a swishing sound through water the road. If the water makes no sound, it's ice.

[BartHumphries]

Black ice is also when enough cars have gone over it that it's become a dirty black from the exhaust, so the road there just looks dirty -- noting in passing that the road in general doesn't really look clean since some dirt always down onto the road and you get mud splashing up everywhere as cars drive down the road. The week after a good snow, our cars look as though they've been driven around in a coal mine (or at least the bottom half of the car looks that way).

[prof]

qwazse,

I feel your pain. Crossroads council (Indianapolis) had its University of Scouting yesterday. Alas, we had a bit of freezing rain friday night. No way am I going out in it. I have wanted to go to it for the past 3 years. But better safe than sorry!!!!!

My local council, Hoosier trails, is having a training expo in mid February. Hopefully, the weather will be clear for it!

Prof.

[qwazse]

-fish's definition is closest to my working definition. Except we've got these beautiful hills, so you don't necessarily have to be driving, you can stop on a spot, and if it's on a grade, you will be moving!

 

Anyway, I redeemed the day by taking my dog for a hike through the snow with a scout parent and sharing my espresso with his family. I said to his son, "There's nothing sadder than seeing your backpack in your living room!"

[diogenes]

Down here, they want to cancel for anything.

 

Clouds in the sky... it might rain.

 

You should have seen them panic when it started to mist.

 

Oh, and anything below 60 degrees is way too cold for anything. Not even a quick daytime hike. Only one showed up. I was in shorts, loving the weather.

 

I love Texas, but South Texas not so much.

[CCbytrickery]

We were under a tornado warning and severe thunderstorm warning this weekend. We had just finished with our campfire program Saturday night at camp, and were sending boys off to bed, when it hit. We were sleeping in cabins (but very rugged cabins) and had everyone in the bathhouses, tucked into the shower stalls.

 

You can fit 14 boys and 4 adults into 3 shower stalls, btw.

 

Only a few boys really panicked and only 1 mom and 1 grandma freaked out. It ended quickly, and safely, with only a good amount of rain and wind hitting us.