-Smartwool socks… so warm and comfy… 3 week Denali (Mt. McKinley- 20,320’) expedition proven.
-Mountain Hardware / Gore Tex gear very durable. Investment grade.
-Balaclava or neck gaitor (Buff) … game changer.
We’re visiting Penn State this weekend … from sunny SoCal…wish me luck.
that is a great idea
How did it go? I’m a little bummed we didn’t go up to Macalester today.
Learning a lot. Trying my best not to overreact to teenage stuff. This part is hard.
ETA cold was a non-event.
So you didn’t have to wear yak fur after all? hehe
I ran out the door yesterday to get my hair cut and realized I wasn’t wearing a coat. Didn’t suffer too badly. It was about 30 but sunny and no wind. 
The wind (or lack thereof) makes a huge difference.
I prefer a windless 0 degrees to 30 degrees with a 30 mph wind.
I grew up in far north-central Wisconsin, where (back in my day…) January highs were typically about 5-15F. Below-zero temps were common. But it’s all lakes and trees up there, so if you found yourself among the trees, the wind typically wasn’t bad. Out on a lake? yay, fun!
Madison has not nearly the density of trees, and campus is on an isthmus to boot, between lakes Mendota and Monona – it is very windy. So while at any given time, Madison was probably about 5-10 degrees warmer than my hometown in the tundra 210 miles to the north, it often felt at least as cold, if not colder, due to the wind.
My husband grew up in Madison. His family’s house was on Lake Mendota. His nickname in high school was “PT” for “part time” because he skipped school so much to sail and iceboat. He built his own iceboat.
I think it would feel much colder attending UW than U Maine!
I rented a dinghy a few times for some fun on Mendota. Typically, though, I enjoyed that lake by taking in the view from Union Terrace… while noshing a Paul Bunyan burger.
I still can feel in my bones all the times our Dad sent us out onto a frozen lake to check tip-ups. Probably explains why I shiver every time I see a small red flag . . . .
My husband taught sailing at Hoofer’s there. We went back for his 50th high school reunion in 2022 and ate on the Terrace. It was bleeping hot, though - close to 100.
Hoofers is probably one of the most popular groups on campus.
You’re triggering PTSD memories of my January walks from my apartment near Vilas Park to the Humanities Bldg. 
We live in Boston and have bags and bags of those handwarmer things- we get value packs for feet, hands and a larger utility size (that I use when I have headaches).
That was a hike!
For me it was going from Sellery A to upperclassman parties up near Pinkus McBride.
Walking up and over the hill to Van Hise was always fun too…
I may be late to the party, but I would not take/wear hiking boots on college tours. It’s way too bulky, possibly uncomfortable, and you won’t be walking through snow drifts. A good pair of athletic shoes are all that would be needed.
I just posted new thread about Southern California! Similar cold issues on a different level!
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