Isn't anyone winter camping?

So whats happened to this section? Doesn't anyone winter camp anymore?
Jim

I will be heading out on Monday for a 3-day trip in the Adirondacks. Can hardly wait.

I'm planning a 3 day snowshoe trip to Chena Dome (near Fairbanks, AK) in March, but right now we only have a couple (like maybe 3) hours of daylight. Most of my planned winter camping this winter are snowmachine trips, which don't quite fit into this forum

Heather

I'm going Jan 10-14 and have already started a thread about it...

I have breakfast, tea and cooked cereal, in my yard nearly every morning no matter how cold with the tarp and chimney/stove. Sometimes I discover a gem of wisdom and truth to improve my outfit.
Right now I am experimenting to see if I can get away with using a 2" diameter x 40" chimney on a 6"x8" coffee can stove.

Look who's talkin'! I asked if you wanted to go and i got: "....i'm moving and can't leave my wife...". Lame excuse Who puts a spouse before a camping trip???

BF

PS--I'm free at the end of January

Headed out New Year's weekend with a few others. A tradition almost the last five years. Desolation Wilderness by Lake Tahoe area looks like if the weather improves. I hope the bottle of wine leaves me room for my sleeping bag.:)

Hey Bigfoot
So did you get that new gear?
We're moved in now and I think I'll go buy a snowpark permit tomorrow so I can go cross country ski by Mt Bachelor. I'm ready anytime and I can meet you at any pass also.

I haven't pitched the hammock since we hiked McKenzie River, maybe I'll go pitch it today since its snowing here, good practice. My new memmory foam pad weighs 30 pounds, but its nice for sleeping in the yard...

I'm trying to get people to go snowshoe here and its amazing just how much trepidation people have about snowshoeing. Geez its about as technical as walking on a dry sidewalk.
Jim

I'm working on a trip to the Leatherwood Wilderness. I joined a forum for Arkansas hikers and there are three people there that say they might make it. I know a few others that might want to go so expect we might have up to five that show up.

I got a new pair of Merrells and a nice Columbia jacket that will make a great layer for cold weather for Christmas!

Let's go at the end of January. I'll be free then. Snowshoe camping sounds great. I did get some new gear with my pro-deals.

BF

Winter camping is my favorite time of year-- unfortunately I haven't been out for a single over-nighter this year due to work commitments. I have however been on many snowshoe hikes and just got back from Crestted Butte for some cabin fun.

I have a few winter trips planned for the new year as I am really looking forward to testing out my new 40below Overboots and taking my brother in law on his first winter backpack trip.

All in all, I have around 12 days planned between now and March for winter backpacking.

I usually manage some november stuff that qualifies, and I like to take a January/February trip or two. I didn't manage to do that last year because my "winter" camping was a 8 day trip in January - however it was South Coast Trek in Tasmania so that doesn't really count.

I'll probably scoot away for a weekend here soon.. likely to my usual haunt around cadomin, cold - snow - mountains, but no avalanche risk...

Looks like single digits for at least one day in CA this coming weekend. I've already pointed out to the young man organized this small group trip of that fact. I hope his roommates have the proper gear. One to two feet of fresh snow in the next day or so. Hope they can handle that too. He's good at finding locations on a map, not sure he realizes how cold single digits really are when out for a couple nights. I'll email him again. Not sure the others going with us have been snow camping. The cold is a harsh teacher.

I've had to put aside my usual winter trip for the year. Can't even get out between Christmas and New Years as my wife is an accountant (think year end) and the kids are off of school. Doing a ski race with my son, conducting the Messiah in December, giving a concert in early February, and planning for a through hike of the Superior Hiking Trail this summer have played havoc with my schedule and time. Next year...

Uhh...it's not the snowshoeing that they are worried about, Jim....

BF

Phat,
I think you and i should apply to be on Mantracker...that would be a fun vacation. All we have to do is steal the guy's horse.... Aquamira and power bars is all we'd need. Prey-lite.

http://www.mantracker.ca/apply.html

BF

I just got back. I will make a separate post with pics. I will probably put it in the winter section because it wasn't lightweight backpacking so it probably doesn't belong in the trip report section.

I just went on a trip Thursday to Twin Lakes in Oregon. The temperature was a crisp 4 degrees at night. We had a blast and enjoyed beautiful scenery. I posted a few pictures on my blog at http://loomisadventures.com/blog/snow-camping-twin-lakes-oregon. We snowshoed in about 2 miles pulling pulk sleds.

Well, I had plans for this weekend, as it was looking cold enough to warrant it.. Unfortunately, the weather for the highways to get there was sufficiently scary to make my change my plans (I'm much more afraid of the road there than anything I actually encounter for conditons) - looks like it's a good thing.. record setting blizzard, and I've spent 6 hours or so running the snow blower today, clearing out all my neighbors, and pulling people out with the 4x4 who are stuck all over the neighborhood....

Depressing when it's easier to move around in snowshoes and a backpack than all this stupid technology..

Bigfoot and I are going out winter camping in a couple weeks, up here above me in the Three Sisters Wilderness, to test his new gear. Its been around 7 to 12 F at night lately, down here at 4,000' in town. At 6,000' on the mountain it will be colder. I feel sorry for him coming up from near sea level.

Trouble is we don't have any snow here (Bend Oregon)except up on the mountain. Hasn't snowed for weeks, so here I am in Central Oregon with no snow and everybody else is buried in it, go figure.
Jim

Hey Loomis, nice site.
"We both pulled pulk sleds with all the gear we would need for a comfortable evening in the snowy wilderness. John pulled about 60 pounds of gear in my Paris Expedition Sled while I pulled about 100 pounds in my new Pelican Snow Trek 60 Sled."

160 lbs of gear? What in the world were you taking? Edit-- OK, now that I looked at your trip reports, I see you took a chainsaw! I can't get away with that in Yosemite.

Jim thinks I take too much with about 40-50 at most. I had a small Pelican sled, but mine was a kid's sled and it tipped over too often-gave it to a friend of mine for his kid. If I get another one, it will be a Paris, if I can find one locally.

Hi TomD. Thanks for the compliment. I am still young, so I have to stay in shape some way. Pulling lots of gear is one option. I am a fast hiker, so it helps slow me down a little so my hiking buddies can keep up.

If you can't find a Paris locally, you can order from REI and have shipped to your closest store. I think their price is around $40. I found the Pelican Snow Trek 60 that I currently use, locally at an Ace Hardware store for $41. That's a steal.

Thanks Loomis. I may have seen the Paris on the REI website a while back. I have two REI stores nearby, so that's a good idea. Saves on shipping. If you want to see some other pulks and whatnot, visit this site, if you haven't done so already-

www.wintertrekking.com

The site has a huge amount of winter camping info on it-great articles and forums. Mostly upper Midwest and Canada campers. Phat and Rick are also members. I heard about the site from Rick, if I recall right.

Duane,

Where do you camp at when you go to Desolation. I normal head up to Loon Lake area off of Ice House then snowshoe on the Van Veck Trail. There's some great spots to build snow caves.

Mike

Mike, have heard many times about Loon Lake road. New Year's Eve, two of us bped in solo, never met up till the next AM to find we were a few hundred yards apart. We entered from the SnoPark by Echo Summit, over/around Lower and Upper Echo lakes, via Johnson Pass Road. Did that route solo to meet a group over Memorial Day weekend also about 6 years ago, found them the first night, just before dark. Last Spring before it got too warm, I went solo out of Bayview TH, all snow covered, first night at Upper Velma, second night at Dick's. Granite Lake was a bi__h to climb out of with no crampons, I had to scuttle from tree well to rock etc. I was thinking of Loon Lake after the young guy who asked me along for NY's had finalized plans. Would be easier, no permits, although worry about snow removal would have been a high concern as the SnoPark was. Next time.

The road is usaully clear up to Union Valey Resevoir. The Snow start at about 10 more miles in.

The other thing you have to worry about is snow / rock slides since you are going over a few hills tops to get to the lake. The view is great for the Western slope of the sierras.. You are close to Brown Mtn.

Some of the NorthCA Hiking group I have been with on many trips have been there a few times, we hit Carson Pass too. I posted to see if anyone wants to go in Feb to that area. The snow will be settled more by then and easier to go over. I need to go on some trips to use some of the vintage bping stoves I have gathered this last year.

Heather,

Nice trip report. The women in Alaska and BC who savy the bush are tougher than most of the men in the lower 48. Going where few dare to tread.

BTW. the wintertrekking site I mentioned above got hacked and is offline. Too bad, it was great site. The owners are trying to get it back up. Absolutely was the best place to get info on deep winter camping. Not that wimpy stuff I do in Yosemite, but the real stuff Phat and Rick do up in the Great White North.

TomD,

Please tell us more about the Great White North. Does the name Calvin Rustrum ring a fimiliar note?

Tom, is that what happened to the site? I've been trying to access it for months now. That would explain, although not much happening in the summer there.
Duane

Tom, I see they are back up and running. I had to rejoin, waiting to be approved now.
Duane