Welcome, guest [login | register]

Posted by rambler on November 6, 2007 at 9:08:03 pm EST
In reply to Winter Camping - First Timer Needs Advice posted by BigSmoke on October 24, 2007 at 12:41:24 pm EDT

You do not have to clear the area of snow, but as remix suggests, pack it down. This can be done by just stomping over it with your feet. If you do not, all will be well when you lie down and the snow is comfortably shaped to your body form. You sleep comfortably for awhile, then you roll over. The snow that was just underneath you has softened somewhat from your body heat, but as you changed into your new position, the area you just rolled out of begins to harden and freeze. Your former comfortable body position is now as hard as a rock and lumpy. End of your comfortable snoozing. Choose a nice wide-mouthed gator aide bottle or the like to use as a pee bottle. You will not have to leave your warm bag in the middle of the night. Hopefully your significant other won't reach for OJ in the AM. Get used to wearing thin liner gloves. Practice doing zippers, lighting stoves and other small motor tasks with them on. They will help prevent frostbitten fingers. Use boots with removeable felt liners or other liners and put the liners into the bottom of your sleeping bag as yopu sleep. Use a garbage bag or some similar container to gather snow if you plan to melt it for water. It takes a large pile of snow to melt to fill a water bottle. Collect the snow a good distance from your tenting area to avoid yellow snow. Remember you need to take a lot of extra fuel if you plan to melt snow. When you have melted the snow, leave a little bit of water in the pot before you add the next round of snow. Wear a hat that will stay on to bed. Use a bivy sack and sleep under the stars. A tent probably adds 10 degrees of warmth, but try sleeping outside of it when you first test your gear. Double up with your sleeping pads. You need insulation from the cold ground. Keep flames away from your tent. Nylon is very flammable. Read some books on the topic! When you do cook, remeber that the bottom of your stove might be warm enough to melt the snow underneath and this might cause the stove to tip. Make a nice platform for your stove to sit on. An aluminum pie plate is usually enough, but paltforms are made commmercially.
You will not need to wear much clothing when you are hiking, so layering it critical. Try to avoid sweating as you hike, because the sweat will freeze when you stop. Clothing wet from sweat will freeze up, too. A good rule of thumb is to be a bit cold as you start to hike, or soon you will be stopping to take off your warm layers. Hiking a bit slower than your usual pace can also prevent you from overheating. That way you can maybe take fewer breaks. The more you stop, the more you will get cold as you stand around. Slow your pace 10 minutes or so before you stop to camp, so your body and clothes are not too sweaty when you have to start standing around. Carry your water bottles upside down. Water freezes from the top. If the bottle is carried upside down, the bottom freezes first, so the top or mouth will not be iced over when you go to drink. Hmm.... that is clear, right? Do not plan on big mile days. It gets darker earlier, and everything just takes longer to do in the cold. Look for the day after a good snow fall to be clear and cold and a joy for hiking.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1228166336045831896VAxoRK

PS.. If you do stop and the snow is deep enough, stomp out a trench about knee deep, not much wider than your foot length. You will have created a bench to sit on..butt on snow, feet in the trench. Do this just outside the door of your tent and you can sit comfortably at your tent door...butt just inside, feet just outside in the trench.

Replies

View: flat | threaded

There have been no replies

Post a Reply

Before replying, please read the complete thread.