Nov 2020 – Since this will be my first holiday season without DH I have decided to get out of town for Christmas holiday. I have a friend that is available to go with me, so we are booked into Jackson, WY over Christmas (Dec 22 – 27). That will be something different for me.

Since I live in central Texas, the weather in Jackson will be significantly different. Here, this year in Texas, it has been warm. This early in November, 2020 we are still in the mid 70’s to the low 80’s. Its warm. Jackson, WY on the other hand is significantly colder even now. The current forecast for Jackson this week is low to mid 30’s with nights in the teens and lower.

We have to pack for cold weather!

Since my friend has never traveled to this kind of climate and doesn’t have the clothes for it, the two of us have had to do some shopping. Before we embarked on that, we sat down and made a list of what would be needed for this trip. I found what I consider good information on the website Palms to Pines on how to layer clothes. REI.com also has a page about Layering Basics that is informative. On both these sites they talk about base layers (those layers next to your skin), mid layers (think insulation), and outer layers (keeps out wind and elements -rain/snow).

So, for my friend we bought:

  • base layer thermal – silk longjohns (pants), silk cami, wool socks
  • midlayer – 1/4 zip fleece tops, polar fleece jacket, flannel shirts,
  • outer layer – down jacket, down vest, outer shell jacket, snow pants, gloves, beanie hat

In addition to these she plans to use her own leggings including some lined ones she has, blouses/shirts, turtlenecks, jeans, tee shirts. Yes, it was an expensive shopping trip but I was able to find most everything on sale (50% off that day-lucky!!). We still have things to shop for. Specifically shoes, or rather snow boots. The other issue we will have is our packing, but that is for later. How do we pack all this stuff into suitcases.

Now, for days we want to wear jeans instead of snow pants I have warned her that she needs to make sure those jeans will fit over either leggings or her long johns. Also, we will do a dry run and make her try on everything just the way she will wear them in cold weather to make sure she know what goes over what and make sure everything fits when they are layered. This is important to do! Don’t assume that those skinny jeans will fit over your base layer bottoms until you actually try it. They might not fit, or you might not be able to actually move in them. Check it out in advance!

UPDATE: Shoes, what fun finding shoes was. I actually ordered snow shoes online, but they didn’t fit. Take this into account, if you order something and it doesn’t fit you need to have time to return it and find something else. My problem was shoes. But I’ve always had problems with getting shoes that fit me well. In this case, I actually found a pair on Amazon.com that worked. On the other hand, the person I went with took three pairs, one that she never wore (they were cute but impractical), one pair that were sold as snow shoes, that were also not warm enough, and one pair she actually wore and that wasn’t the pair she expected to wear. But the good news was they were fairly cute, warm, and kept her feet dry.

But as for the trip, Jackson was beautiful. Seeing Jackson in the snow was absolutely magical. I ate a lot of food that was amazing. I have to suggest Glorietta, and their chicken. We did Pauli’s and loved the charcuterie board, the lasagna was good too. Trio’s BLT soup is a wonderful starter.

While in Jackson we had the opportunity to do the Elk Refuge sleigh ride. If there had been more snow on the ground, the ride might have smoother, but it was well worth the trip. Now during the time of Covid, they did not supply blankets, most people brought their own, and they had some for sale.

We also did a winter safari tour. It was half day, pick up at 1pm. If you find a company for this, it is so well worth it. We had a lady that was a photographer, and she knew where to find animals. We found elk, moose, bison, bald eagles, and mountain goats and sheep. Our guide brought a spotting scope and was able to show us how to take pictures using it, on our cell phones. It was well worth it.

Since our trip was over Christmas, we did the safari tour the day after we got there, then did the Elk Refuge sleigh ride Christmas Eve late morning. We didn’t do anything Christmas Day, we just rested. The day after Christmas we walked around town and saw areas we hadn’t seen yet. It was so beautiful. I am glad we went.