Tom, What MNS left out is that she works with a SAR group in AK that does just what she says-they go looking for people like you. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Winter camping isn't like summer or three season camping-you need a lot more gear to be safe and comfortable. There are winter gear lists on the site (link from the home page) and members have posted lists in the winter forum (use the search engine, go back a few years to find them).

A book like Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book is a good introduction to winter camping. I got mine from Amazon.

I presume from some pictures I saw that Lost Lake is snow covered in winter. This may mean you need a winter tent, big bag, snowshoes or skis and winter clothing such as a big parka and so on.

I would do as MNS suggested and join a group or take a class. I first learned about winter camping in a mountaineering class.

A trip to AMH (Alaska Mountaineering & Hiking) or REI in Anchorage should help with gear selection.

This link is to another thread with links to a story about what can go wrong-in this instance, everyone was rescued, but it was a big SAR effort to get them out.
Rescue thread