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Posted by BigSmoke on December 3, 2007 at 7:20:17 pm EST
In reply to Trip Report #3 Winter Camping posted by BigSmoke on November 27, 2007 at 12:44:26 am EST

Sorry for the long delay gang. I just started a new job last week and have been swamped.
The trip was great and yes we did get snow however the snow was on top of Spruce Knob and we camped down in the valley where it was just bitterly cold with no snow accumulation.

Here are the pictures: (shot with our new Nikon D40X)

Be sure to click the full size button in the upper left corner...(magnifying glass)

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/aa199/WickedOne_bucket/?action=view¤t=f236616c.pbw

And my lessons learned:

We did the car camping which was great. Even though we did not need the security blanket of the car, we were much more relaxed and able to enjoy the experience and take some pretty good notes on what to do and what not to do. For one, I learned that the MSR stove should NOT be handled with your gloves on. Not only do gloves protect your hands from the cold, they also protect them from heat...which melts gloves rather quickly. Another lesson learned; we had layers, many layers but not of the best quality. It kept us warm but I can see where it could have gone wrong if we were in the backcountry with sub par fabric layers. We have quite the Christmas list put together with smart wool and clothes that will wick and not get soaked. The quality of your garments directly correlates to your long term comfort in the backcountry. Easily removable layers in order to regulate temperature are VERY important. The most crucial lesson learned was from a hike in Cannan Valley in an area similar to Dolly Sods, very wet. We were using a trail guide from 2003. It was just printed and sold to us 3 months ago and we assumed since it was sold in 2007 with a nice cover that said 2007 that it would be fairly accurate. WRONG. The trail had a MAJOR stream ford with a washed out bridge and not much of in the way of rocks to hop across. I, being the chivalress husband was attempting to get the wife across safely and stepped up to my shin in some pretty cold water. I could see where this could end up in the loss of some toes if the weather had been more severe or if we had more than 5 miles back to the car. Extra socks and an emergency fire starting kit (magnesium) will be part of my back country and day pack from here forward for any winter hiking.

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