WinterCampers.com

This is Len - famous FIREMASTER.  He talks about specific heat while pre-warming carefully selected pieces of firewood for a fire.  With few exceptions Len has always had a successful fire.  A few years ago we hiked into Long Pond in November to watch the meteor shower.  Len agreed to pose for this photo.  We also have some photos of Len that he didn’t agree to pose to, but since Len is a High School teacher and still our friend we are keeping those in the archives.

Later in the day we tried to teach Len the mechanics of a bowline knot.  Rob explains:  The rabbit comes out of the hole, around the tree and back into the hole….

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Previously, we saw Mark’s behind-the-scenes work lining up the group photo.  Below is the final result.

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Yesterday we saw Sparky posing on Baldface Mountain.  Mark takes most our group shots and posed photos. Here Mark directs everyone into place to get the best scenery in the background in relationship with camera mount.

Mark lines up the shot.

Checking out the shot.

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During the summer one has to take a boat across Indian Lake or endure a long hike/bush whack to reach the trail to Baldface Mountain.  During the winter it is a straightforward walk across an ice covered lake and a short walk to be rewarded with an excellent view.

A lot of winter hikers do this as a day trip.  We opted to bring along the tipi and set up camp lower in the woods for an overnight stay.  We hiked to the top of Baldface Mountain and enjoyed our lunch in the sun.  Like Sparky below, we posed for pictures.

Camping in the tipi at night we had beerwurst and Jiffypop heated on the stove.  We listened to Prairie Home Companion on the radio.  Later at night we heard the snowmobiles race up and back on Indian Lake until well past midnight.

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I mainly use National Geographic TOPO! or one of the online services such as MyTopo for Topographic maps.  However, recently I  download a free add-on  for Google Earth, called the Topographical Overlay, that adda a KMZ “layer” of official US topo maps on Google Earth.  When toggled on, the Topo Overlay displays standard USGS 7.5 minute topos as a seamless map so you can center your interest in the middle of a custom map.

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The Pack-A-Day Give Away from Mountain Hardwear is now officially underway.  Everyday during the month of August, Mountain Hardwear is giving away one of their urban daypacks. Here’s how it works: Fill out the form and click Gimme that pack! to find out if you’ve won. You can enter once a day through August 31, so come back often for the most chances to get a pack.

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The U.S. Army spend a lot of time thinking about worst case scenarios.  WinterCampers.com found the U.S. Army Cold Weather Survival Manual and made it available here.

The manual covers

• COLD REGIONS AND LOCATIONS including considerations for both wet and dry cold weather environments.
• WINDCHILL
• BASIC PRINCIPLES OF COLD
• WEATHER SURVIVAL: including the four basic principles to follow to keep warm - “COLD”.
  • C - Keep clothing clean.
  • O - Avoid overheating.
  • L - Wear clothes loose and in layers.
  • D - Keep clothing dry.
• HYGIENE
• MEDICAL ASPECTS
• COLD INJURIES such as hypothermia, frostbite, trench foot and Immersion foot, dehydration, cold diuresis, sunburn, snow blindness, and constipation.
• SHELTERS including how to build a Snow Cave Shelter, Snow Trench Shelter, Snow Block/Parachute Shelter, Igloo, Lean-To Shelter, Fallen Tree Shelter, and Tree-Pit Shelter
• FIRE
• WATER
• FOOD
• And finally, how to read Weather Signs such as wind, clouds, smoke, and low pressure fronts.

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Kathryn, Jim, Matt and Jason wandering the streets of Ely, MN looking for a dog sled team……

Kathryn asks if these dogs will do?

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Freezerbag cooking is ideal for winter camping.  It’s lightweight because you prepare all your dried ingredients  at home and pre-package them in ziplock bags.

You only need a single pot to boil water in, enough fuel to boil the water, and a fabric cozy for your bagged meal (a spare garment will work in pinch).

Once the water boils, pour it into the ziplock bag and slip the bag in your cozy. Set it aside for 5-10 minutes for the meal to fully cook.

You’ll save fuel because there’s no simmering.  Cleanup is easy as there’s no pot to scrub, just a bag to pack out.

WinterCampers.com has a few ziplock recipes and I found a great site called freezerbagcooking.com which describes this style of cooking, has recipes and technique ideas.

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Jason models a designer hat accessory during a winter camping trip on Snowy Mountain.

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