How to Socialize in the Cold Without Being Miserable

The next time you tell yourself it’s too cold to go outside, think about Scott Oeth. A few times each year, he sleeps under the stars, on top of a frozen lake at the Boundary Waters nature preserve near the Minnesota-Canadian barrier. Temperatures on those nights can drop down to 40 degrees below zero, so frigid that Oeth recalls hearing the pop of sap freezing inside trees and the rumbling of lake ice moving beneath him.

Here’s his bedtime routine: He’ll set up his space — two sleeping bags, one tucked inside the other, with a wind shell over the top — tucking his hands between his armpits every few minutes to keep them from freezing. Right before bed, he’ll gobble an energy bar, do some squats and push-ups — “It’s easier to stay warm than to get warm,” he says — before quickly slipping into a fleece jacket, fluffy socks, and a balaclava mask. Then he zips himself up into his sleeping bags and stays toasty all night.