Too Cold For Last Day Of January Nature Communing On Frozen Lake Wichita

For over a week now I have been suffering from an endorphin deficit due to limited salubrious outdoor nature communing.

So, on this final day of the 2026 version of January I thought nature communing at Lake Wichita would be a good thing.

I was wrong.

The temperature was 14 degrees as measured by the Fahrenheit method. With a strong wind blowing.

I was surprised to see Lake Wichita still being a big ice pond, due to high temperatures the past couple days getting into the 40s, with much of the snow and ice melted.

In the photo documentation we are at the end of the Lake Wichita Boardwalk, looking northwest. That little bump you see at the far side of the lake is Mount Wichita, totally snow-free, at least from my view of the mountain.

I thought I was adequately attired to deal with the extreme cold. I thought wrong. The icy wind began burning the exposed part of my face.

I bailed on the outdoor nature communing after about 10 minutes, then drove the short distance to the nearest Walmart to try and get myself some endorphins via pushing a cart, fast, in Walmart.