New Gloves

I am planning a backpacking trip soon, and I realized that I need a pair of gloves. I had a decent pair last winter until a bitterly cold day (yes, we have those on occasion) here in Ole Virginny when I ran into this homeless lady who was begging. She had a sign which said that she was out of luck and trying to get back home. I bought her a cup of coffee and a sandwich, and chatted with her for a few minutes. She was trying to get back to Maine and she looked so sad. I went back to my office and looked up a bunch of places where she might get help, then returned with the places and locations written down for her. I noticed that she didn't have any gloves, so I gave her mine. I figured I at least had a warm place to be that day, in my office. So now, I need new ones.

I found several pairs I liked at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, but they were all for women. Maybe I am getting in touch with my feminine side? I don't know! I kept looking and found a good pair of men's gloves that I liked. They are waterproof, unlike the pair I gave away. They also have a pair of light liner gloves, which will do two things - create a dead air space and give me the ability to have some minimal warmth by taking off the outer layer if I have to do some task requiring dexterity.

As a footnote, a couple of months later, I ran into the same woman at the same spot. It was another fairly cold day, but nowhere as bad as the prior time. "Didn't you ever get to Maine?" I asked, a little incredulous. "Yes," she said, "But I came back to go to a funeral of a friend." I bought her a cookie this time. I noticed that her hands were bare, but didn't have gloves to give her this go around, as my hands were bare, too.