What does the Weatherman mean by "a winter mix"?

Winter, it seems, is here to stay. It declared its occupation with a two day fit of flurries and overcast skies. A mattress of clouds obscured the sun through its few hours of weak eminence and the waxing, near full moon illuminated the sky, leaving little difference between day and night. That initial fit dropped a playful dusting of snow, just enough to fill the washboard rivets in the roads and to speckle the spots between shrubs in the fields. Then a sharp, crystal clear day sliced the temperatures below zero and we have not seen anything above 30 degrees since then.
Farm life is making the reverential and requisite adjustments. We gear up in heavy layers of insulated Carhartts, lined gloves, and heavy winter boots. I imagine we look rather turtle-ish, lumbering about, comically small heads poking out the collars, the only part of the body with much range of motion, and even that is stunted. Outlet plugs dangle out of the grill of the vehicles, rather like umbilical cords and serving much the same purpose. Even so, we have to let the cars warm up for 10-15 minutes before it is fair to ask them to move, thereby making me exactly 15 to 20 minutes late for just about everything and further extending Gay’s customary one hour lag. Also, the season demands that a girl blow dry her hair should she be silly enough to shower in the morning. This has nothing whatsoever to do with fashion, rather with combating ISS (Icicle Scalp Syndrome).
The ugly underbelly of the farm also turns its frigid face to us at this point in the season. The inoperative water heating units, which have snuck through a summer and fall without detection, are coming to attention. The kids are out thawing the underground lines which froze because the heating units decided to not work with this first real freeze.
The cows amble the fields, unfettered by their calves for the first time in nine odd months. Gay sold 100calves, (50 heifers at 541 lbs average and 50 steers at 562 lbs average) leaving us with a dozen or so dinks and two cripples who pace around the corral. They finally quit bleating for their mothers and the particularly insistent mommas abandoned their mournful posts outside the corral some days since. Yesterday we preg checked the cows; gotta earn their hay somehow! We pushed small clusters into the chute where the vet not so delicately made his arm disappear up to his forearm and shouted either “she’s good”, or “she’s dry” at which point the cow was doused with a bug killing chemical, given a shot, and released from the head trap to hustle over to her friends where they conferred as to the disgrace which they had just undergone.
As a show of solidarity I scheduled a Doctor’s visit on that same day. The doctor was incredibly knowledgeable and Montana style blunt. We discussed vitamins which I might need on the trail and she had her nurses pump me full of shots to protect me from dirty water, rusty nails, and other such threats. It really was comforting to be able to sit with her and hash out some of the finer topics which I had yet to tackle myself. By the end of it she informed me that she and her nurses had decided to quit their jobs and hike with me. As with most established adults she celebrated my adventure and bemoaned that she was now too “bound down” to indulge such escapades. I thanked her for helping me get mine on its feet and marched out with three Snoopy band-aids on my arms. Despite the freezing temperatures I went to the post office and grocery store with my sleeves rolled up, that others might be able to properly revere my obvious tough-itude (three shots in one sitting, and two at once no less!) but no one showed the proper awe so I went home and marveled at them myself. Not quite, but nearly as gratifying. The Tetanus shot made muscles that I didn’t know I had, ache.

I finally have the itinerary for the Pacific Crest Trail roughly plotted. The specifics will be dependent on weather but I will be starting in southern Cali late April. As I said, my buddy from High School and Philmont, Tyler Griffin, will accompany me for that first month. Side trips for restocking aside we should cover just under 500 miles in about a month. Figuring this as the sort of warm up leg we will average between 14 and 17 miles per day, with a few lay-overs if necessary. It seems that the largest challenge we will face will be maintaining our water supply. There will be some lengths where we go nearly 30 miles without an easy water access! And water weighs a lot! Hopefully though we will be able to compensate the weight with lighter clothing and packs, as the temperatures down there tend toward hot more than cold. However there will be some points of elevation so those must be considered as well. We are considering doing that piece of the trail without a tent, maybe just light tarps to wrap ourselves in our sleeping bags should it decide to rain. We will end that section around a town called Agua Dulce from where Tyler will (hopefully) head to Philmont for the rest of the summer and I will spend a few days in LA with a dear friend from college, Bryan Crawford.
My plan is to send some of my heavier gear for him to hold and, after resupplying, reassessing, and relaxing, take the train north to somewhere near the California/Oregon border. I will be passing through that area early June which should place me through there after the Spring showers and storms but before the area becomes inundated with other hikers. What the area WILL be inundated with at that time are mosquitoes. I am concerned about maintaining my sanity through such conditions but with cancer causing quantities of Deet and a few anti mosquito tips which I picked up from my friend Andy Borek, I think I can make it. A key factor at that point will be to have a tent to post up in and a vestibule large enough to cook in. All in all, Oregon should take me about 3 ½ weeks and then on up through Washington.
The weather will be cooler, the terrain rockier and more ups and downs, the mosquitoes just as prevalent, and higher chances of rain. I mean, it IS Washington after all. Either way, I am really excited, having recently spent a little time playing in the mountains and hiking on trails near where the PCT passes through. Also, several of my people are smattered across that state and, by the end of the 4-5 weeks which that length should take me, I plan to take a little time to visit my family and friends.
Assuming I am still alive and whole at that point I will catch the train south again and tackle the Sierra Nevada range going north to south through the months of August and September. The way I have laid the plan out I will conclude the whole thing on the John Muir Trail with my Dad. This is one of the most remote lengths of the trail, which will mean packing a lot of food weight so we will probably have to invest in those light weight hiker meals. This length is also reputed as being one of the most beautiful lengths of trail in America and I think it will make a good wrap up.
From what I have read it will be easiest to resupply at the beginning of the trail, with accessible towns every 50-80 miles. Through OR and WA there will be some longer stretches and I will certainly have to mail myself more drops but still quite doable.This entire planning phase has been so incredibly facilitated by the PCTA hiking guides which are so detailed and thorough that it almost feels like cheating.
The next area I plan to tackle as far as planning goes will be food. Of particular concern will be to maintain calorie intake. I know you will all be fascinated.

In conclusion, and on a completely different note, I am headed back in to Kansas City in 15 days. I am stupid excited to see my family and friends and to head down to Belize! After that I have slated a week to hang out with my best friend at her place outside of Denver and, if I can afford it, to do some skiing before heading back up here to survive the rest of winter and then help with the beginning of lambing and calving season. I do hope to see you soon and wish you safe and happy holidays.

Here are a couple web sites which I have found really informative and helpful:

http://cwillett.imathas.com/pct/
http://www.andrewskurka.com/advice/index.php