Patterns in the Snow

My God, it was cold. So cold, my eyelashes froze. So cold, my hair froze in horrid clumps. But, guess what? I was deliriously happy. Why? The landscape was simply stunning. As we progressed up the fiord the scenery got more dramatic - the cliffs and mountains loomed large over us as we were funnelled into the frozen Owl River. I never imagined there could be so many different shades of white or blue, or so many patterns in the snow. As time wore on, we grew more acclimatised to the low temperatures which averaged minus 25. Hmmm. We adopted the buddy system where we checked each other for white spots, the first signs of frostbite. If I couldn't feel my fingers, which happened most days, I learned to tell someone and start clapping my hands like a mad woman! I grew used to frozen eyelashes and clumps of ice stuck in my hair. To tell the truth, I really didn't care what the hell I looked like.