Dashing Through the Snow
By Janna P.
Winter Landscape by fesusrobertphotos Created in Canva
I don’t know about any of you, but I’m pretty excited for what the next few months have in store – snow! I know snow brings mixed reactions from people. Some may think it’s the best thing ever and just can’t wait to go outside and play in it (like me). Others are perfectly content to stay inside and watch the flakes come spiraling down from the heavens in the comfort of the living room with a blazing fire, within-reach hot drink, and a spellbinding book. None of the above would apply to those who don’t predictably receive snow! Let’s take a closer look at what snow looks like for NSAers.
As you might guess, snow is variant around the world. With increasing latitude in the northern direction comes an increasing amount of snow in the northern and eastern hemispheres. Wisconsin, for example, averages about 44 inches per year, while states like Florida and Texas rarely experience snow. One unusual year in San Antonio, Texas, it snowed two feet. Mrs. Moreno reports, “School was closed and the entire city shut down for over a week.” In Idaho, where I live, school is canceled for snow days if the roads are bad or too much snow has accumulated. Back in the winter of 2013-2014, the temperature got down to five below zero, which is unheard of in my part of the state. The rest of my third grade classmates and I spent recess indoors that day, much to my disappointment! Internationally, the snowfall in Alberta, Canada, varies from half an inch to over 15 inches. Thailand and other countries in south Asia don’t get any at all, exempting the snow-capped mountain ranges.
According to a recent poll, 60.3% of NSA high school students, middle school students, elementary school students, and faculty live in places where snow is a common sight. Mississippi, New York, Minnesota, Washington, Colorado, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Illinois, Indiana, Arizona, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Nebraska NSAers have reported snow. All of these are US-based, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t live elsewhere at another point in time. A case in point, Central Asia, is home to some snow memories. While living there, Mrs. Marshall remembers, “During one storm we got about several feet of snow in just a few hours. We were staying cozy in the house while watching a movie late at night. All of a sudden, we heard a loud boom and crash. The roof of our carport had collapsed under the weight of the snow and buried our truck. We spent the next two days digging it out -- but the good thing about it was that our neighbors came out to help us and we were able to start building a relationship with them!” God’s ways really are mysterious and are higher than ours.
A lot of fun activities wouldn’t exist if not for snow. Kids and teens in Virginia Beach, Virginia, surf in the ocean throughout the year, but when winter comes, they employ a cool twist to the sport. Riding on fresh snow via a skin board (basically a surfboard without fins), they are pulled behind a car down the road with a ski rope. For someone who hasn’t ocean surfed before, snow surfing could very well be the next best thing. In the northwestern US, young people do something similar with different tools, but their inspiration is tubing on a lake, where they’re towed over a lake’s surface on an inner tube attached to a speed boat. They grab a sibling or friend, volunteer to drive a four-wheeler, popularly known as an ATV, and attach a sled to the back of it. The driver proceeds to steer crazily in the hopes of throwing the friend or sibling off the sled into the snow. Folks with the necessary equipment enjoy skiing, snowmobiling, ice skating, and snow tubing. NSAers occupy themselves with snow by building snowmen and snow forts, starting a snowball fight, sledding, going on snowy walks, making snow angels, and a myriad of other exploits. Silas, a high school student, recounts a good time he and his family had with snow – “We went outside and there was a drift that was three-to-four feet high right outside our house. We were able to carve a cave that could fit three people in it, and we put a picnic blanket inside for *aesthetics.*” Snow creative! My siblings and I have wanted to make a snow cave for years; sadly, we never have snow in the feet to do it. Aaron, another high school student, recalls, “One year, many years ago, my family and I built a snow fort. The roof was so thick that it supported both my dad and I. My mom was taking pictures, when, all of a sudden, our family dog at the time scampered up the slanted side to join us.” I bet that made for a funny photoshoot.
As the winter season is coming up for many of us, I sincerely hope that you will be able to enjoy the cold exactly how you prefer.
Columns: 🧑🚀NSA Culture
Janna P. is a senior and seventh-year NSA student who lives in Idaho with her family of five. She enjoys reading, cooking, baking, traveling the Northwest, hanging out with her family, and spending time in God's creation. This is her first year on the Navigator. After her schooling career is over, she hopes to become a librarian and published author.