I think somewhere along the way my thermostat must have been permanently turned down. Perhaps I did not eat all of my vegetables to allow it to develop completely, or maybe it was the copious amounts of ice cream I ate as a child that sent my core temperature down ten or fifteen degrees. But whatever the cause, I seem to run a lot colder than most ‘normal’ human beings.

For the longest time my remedy for this would be to bring stacks and stacks of layers of clothing. Base layer, to PowerStretch, and on and on. But then one day I realized that I could simplify things if I always, and I mean always, brought my down jacket. When I first started this experiment it was in the late fall, so it didn’t seem out of the ordinary for me to be carrying a downie, even when most people were more than warm enough in a light fleece, but hey, I’m a small person they probably thought it justified. And as the seasons changed into winter, it was more than appropriate.

However, as spring rolled into summer and my Black Guide’s Down Sweater, was still the first thing to get packed, people started to look at me with a strange face. I would be belaying next to people in shorts and t-shirts, and I would be dressed the same, except with my down jacket as the finishing topping. I think most people can understand that Northern California winters have the possibility to provide down jacket conditions…..in the winter, but in August, it seems like the last think you would expect a person to pull out of their pack. But I found that almost everyday that I went out, I either wore it, or it made a great mattress for an afternoon nap in the Sierras.

Then, about two weeks ago, something extraordinary happened. I packed up all of my climbing gear, food, and clothing for the day and started driving to my project. It was a nice crisp November morning, perfect for making progression and climbing. I hiked up to the crag and unpacked all of my stuff, put on my harness and climbed a pitch. When I came down, I went to take my downie out of my pack, and low and behold it wasn’t there. At first, a bit taken aback, I thought it must be underneath the pack, or around somewhere. Trying not to get my blood pressure too high, or send myself into a state of panic, I CALMLY looked for my jacket. But after five minutes of frantic searching, I came to the sad realization that I had left it at home.

For any normal person, this would have been okay, it wasn’t terribly cold that day, and definitely doable without a down jacket, but I felt bare, naked, empty without my trusted downie. It had accompanied me everyday climbing or hiking for two or three years. I tried climbing a bit more, but it felt like I was just going through the motions, so I stopped and went down to boulder.

The rest of my day was optimistically speaking, pathetic. I shivered uncontrollably for no reason. I should have climbed more to stay warm, but instead I stewed in the fact that I did not have my downie.

This was my only day so far without my downie, everyday since then it has been the first thing that goes in my pack without fail. Worn with a few holes, stains from tea, and more chalk than goes in my chalk bag, my Guide’s Down Jacket tells more stories than a book could. From ninety-degree days in Tuolumne, to sub zero days in Colorado, it has been with me without fail, except for that dreadful day in November, for three years now. The perfect layer for any weather, it is my centerpiece for climbing.

Learn more about Beth Rodden at marmotpro.com