Letter carriers brave the snow and ice to deliver the mail

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- When temperatures drop below 20-degrees, it's tough delivering the mail. One South Bend mail carrier says he's more afraid of ice than heavy snow.



United States Postal Service Letter Carrier Brian Spahn likes delivering mail in the snow. He says there is something peaceful about it.

Nothing can stop the mail, but snow can slow Spahn down.



He walks for eight hours straight in every type of weather, but he doesn't keep track of his steps.



"But I need to do that sometime. Get a pedometer or one of those apps that tell you how far you walk," said Spahn. "People ask me 'How much do you walk in a day?' and I don't know!"



He's one of 130 carriers working out of the South Bend hub.



Spahn's boss, Postmaster Lisa Curlin, says it's important to keep the path to your mailbox clear in bad weather.



"Just make sure for customers and residents to keep your driveways clear and the pathways to the mailboxes clear," said Curlin.



Spahn fell two times last winter, but says he understands if people can't get it shoveled right away.



"The ice is our biggest trouble. When it's icy, we can't walk as fast," said Spahn.



When it's cold, he walks as fast as he can, with rubber covers on his boots, trying to get the whole route done at once.



"Cause one bad thing about warming up is you got to go back out and get cold again. And for me, once I get cold, I just try to stay cold and it seems to be a lot easier to deal with," said Spahn.