Our son is in Fairbanks. For three days he will hike in Denali, immersing himself in the grandeur of pristine wildlife. Although, being his mother, I am hoping it will not be too wild. As in sharp teeth. Or antlers. Or claws. 

Our daughter lived in that misnomer of a city last year. Her reports about the extreme weather, and mosquitos that attack like kamikazes, and dismal air quality defied the city's given name. 

She often rode her bike to the gym, even in ten below. Her logic was that driving to a place where she would throw her strength into exercise seemed counterintuitive. I applaud her integrity, but golly, that is frigid. 

One day, she returned to her bike, intending to unlock it. But the keyhole was frozen shut. She went into a café to buy hot coffee. After flinging it at the lock, she had a frozen lock with ice on it. Next, she bought a lighter, and held the flame up to the lock for a while. But it didn't manage to raise the temperature enough. It was by then late at night, and she decided to take an Uber home.

The next day she arrived with fresh ideas. At a local hardware store she bought a bolt cutter to sever the metal. After explaining her need, it seemed odd that the man behind the counter was nonplussed that she was about to demolish a bike lock. Wouldn't that cause alarm? In any case, the fifty dollar purchase proved futile, and she was still cold. Finally, she tried a hair dryer. After sweet-talking a shop owner into letting her run an extension cord, she spent twenty minutes warming up the metal, and was able to insert the key and turn it. 

Facing obstacles is draining. And yet it can also force us to step into resilience. Truthfully, there are days I would rather be wimpy and warm. But then I do not have the riveting experiences my adult children do.