Every generation remembers their childhood winters being harsher than those of their own children. People of my generation, for the most part, are correct, especially if they are referring to the horrible twin winters of 1977 and 1978. These were, by most measures, some of the worst in Ohio history.

The winter of 1977 was marked by extreme cold, and it stayed that way for a long time. The average temperature in Ohio for January 1977 was 11.9 degrees. Record cold temperatures state-wide caused residents to struggle to stay warm. The extreme demand for natural gas caused shortages. The fact that the Ohio River froze so much that coal barges could not get through meant the electric plants had trouble getting enough coal to keep the lights on as well. Schools closed because of the shortages, leaving students with plenty of free time, in what amounted to a deep freeze.

I was a student at Marietta High School at the time and I recall that we only attended school one day a week for a month. The school, of course, is built like a bridge, and the cold air below the building meant that many of the pipes were hopelessly frozen. When we did attend, the school was both cold and dark to conserve energy.

Sports teams were allowed to continue practice and since we didn’t have any school, we had plenty of time to work out. I was on the crew team. The river was frozen, so we spent a lot of time lifting weights at the junior high school and running the steps of the gym. Eventually everyone suffered from cabin fever, so late in the cold snap we ventured out to the Wayne National Forest for what at the time seemed like a 20-mile hike through knee-deep snow, and yes, it was up hill both ways. I have a life-long love of hiking, perhaps it started that day.

I recently asked my former classmates what they remembered doing during that time. Dave Wesel and his fellow cross-country runners worked on miles for the 1,000 Miles Club. Many remembered sled riding at the country club, on Harmar Hill and on the mound in Camp Tupper. Julie Smith Haessly recalled trying to stay warm after the gas heat went out. Her family was forced to hang blankets in doorways as they attempted to heat one room with a fireplace.

Spring eventually arrived, and we moved on from the struggles of winter. That is, until 1978 and one of the worst storms in the history of mankind. That may be overstating it a little, but not much. It was the worst in Ohio history though. It killed 51 state residents. The Ohio National Guard called out 5,000 members to make rescues. Classes shut down state-wide, including at colleges and, of course, at local public schools.

The snow fall and drifts were so deep in some areas that it was measured in feet and not inches. Cars were completely covered with snow. Some drifts were 20 feet deep, and the wind chill fell to 50 degrees below zero. It started on Jan. 26 and went on for three days. This was the big one folks, the storm of the century. We eventually dug out and of course walked uphill both ways to get to school.

So yes, young people out there, winters were worse when we were kids. Adversity builds character. That’s why some of us have so much attitude.

When Smith is not complaining about the weather, he is online manager of the Times, he can be reached at asmith@mariettatimes.com.