#51. Build a campfire.  There are three components:

1. The tinder — bone-dry, snappable twigs, about as long as your hand. You need two complete handfuls. Try birch bark; it burns long and hot.
2. The kindling — thick as your thumb, long as your forearm, breakable with two hands. You need two armfuls.
3. Fuel wood — anything thick and long enough that it can’t be broken by hand. It’s okay if it’s slightly damp. You need a knee-high stack.

Step 1: Light the tinder, turning the pile gently to get air underneath it.
Step 2: Feed the kindling into the emergent fire with some pace.
Step 3: Lay on the fuel wood. Pyramid, the log cabin, whatever — the idea is to create some kind of structure so that plenty of air gets to the fire.

So what’s wrong with this picture?  THE PLATFORM!  I don’t care if you are winter camping, back country camping or building a fire in your outdoor fireplace - Step 1 is paying attention to base the fire is going to sit on.  Len the Fire Master preaches “Get It Off The Ground”, especially if it is damp and/or cold.

Esquire offered no opportunity to comment on their article.  Too bad, as I would suggest that Winter Camping should be on their list of essential skills.

The violation was to “vii. fail to possess and use skis or snowshoes when the terrain is snow-covered with eight or more inches of snow;” with the intent of preventing post-holing on trails.

There are over 100 posts in response to Kevin’s initial posting most addressing the civil disobedience aspects of the situation.  This misses a valuable point - the High Peaks are such a heavily traveled area that regulation after regulation is necessary.  I, for one, was unaware of this regulation and I am again reminded why WinterCampers.com tends to avoid the High Peaks region when a back country experience is desired.

We do a reasonable amount of winter camping in both Adirondack lean-tos and in tents. Typically I use some combination of an emergency space blanket, a closed-cell pad, and an inflatable Therm-a-Rest pad. A couple years ago I had a hip replacement so padding comfort is a big factor. My question, then: Are the pricier down-filled sleeping pads like those from Exped really that much warmer?

— Jim, Holland Patent, New York

Gear Guys Answer: Concerning your commitment to wintertime activities, all I can say is: I doff my cap to your outdoor hardiness.

As for your provisional choice of pad, the good news is Exped’s Downmat 9 ($149; www.exped.com) has an R-value—an insulation rating—of about seven (higher is better). A standard Therm-a-Rest, in comparison, has an R-value of about three (depends on the model). Adding a Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest ($20 in regular size; www.thermarest.com) to the self-inflating pad—an excellent cold-weather practice—adds another 2.6 of R goodness for a total of about 5.6. As you see, that’s still some way off the Downmat 9’s grand total. So one Downmat more than equals two regular pads—a self-inflating and a closed-cell pairing—in insulation. And while I’ve never used one of the new-generation down-filled pads, I am told they are molto comfortable.

You also win on weight. A Downmat 9 weighs two pounds, while the two Therm-a-Rest pads will end up at three pounds six ounces. That’s quite a difference! You could even add a regular-sized 14-ounce RidgeRest and still have no more weight to lug than before. So while it’s true the down-filled pad is fairly expensive— about $60 more than a pair of pads from other makers such as Cascade Designs (inventors of the original Therm-a-Rest)—it performs extremely well. I’d go out and buy a Downmat 9, and look forward to a good night’s rest in the mountains.

Mark, Jay, Scott, Maddux and Jim.

Once we got the requisite group photograph at the summit it was time to head back down Mount Blue, re-join our backpacks and hike the remainder of the trail to Lizard Pond lean-to. If the way up was steep and slippery and the way down was steeper and slipperier. Falls and slides were common with everyone partaking:

But no one got hurt and soon we re-joined our backpacks and made our way to the lean-to along Lizard Pond.

Dinner was served which for some was a freeze dried meal,

but for Maddux was dried dog food.

Afterwards we sat around a fire and talked until bed time.  This is one of the more pleasant aspects of winter camping.  Since it is dark early, there is lots of time to chat and tease and discuss future trips.

We settled into warm sleeping bags. This was possibly the maiden voyage for my Western Mountaineering winter sleeping bag - an extra long, over stuffed, over engineered Puma. I will write more on that in a separate gear review.

Mark was one of the first to arise. It was pleasant to lie warm in the sleeping bag and wake up.

In the morning the sun illuminated the hills across Lizard Pond.  After a quick breakfast we went out on Lizard Pond to enjoy the view.

Looking north across Lizard Pond to Crane Mountain in the distance.

We hiked out to our cars and searched for a convenient diner for our second breakfast. A nice trip.

According to Bill Ingersoll “long ago, some unknown surveyor recorded the name of this small pond as “Lixard Pond,” probably in error. This simple misspelling shaped the topographic maps of the next century, for the name “Lixard” appeared on the U.S. Geological Society maps for decades to come. The metric USGS maps currently available label it as Lizard Pond, but this restoration of proper spelling has gone largely unnoticed. People still refer to it as Lixard Pond as though it is the actual name – or else they just haven’t updated their maps”.

We left the Lizard Pond trail where the swamps in the pond’s valley first become visible from the trail.

Jay had packed in his trekking poles and graciously loaned them out prior to the climb up Mount Blue. Here Scott and Jim pause with Crane Mountain visible in the distance.

As we climbed up Mount Blue there were several ledges and false summits offering views of Garnet Lake and Lizard Pond.

In 1908 a fire burned the southeastern side of the mountain leaving treeless patches offerring spendid views. Below Jay, Scott and Jim pause on one of the many open area with Garnet Lake in the background.

Taking advantage of these open areas, ledges and false summits one can enjoy 270 degree perspectives of Crane Mountain, Lizard Pond, Bearpen Peak, Baldhead Mountain and Moose mountain. To the west are Georgia Mountain, Harrington Mountain, New Lake Mountain and Wilcox Mountain.

At the peak we enjoyed a quick snack while the wind blew in increasingly dark cloud cover.

It was steep and slippery climbing up, but nothing like the journey downslope when each of us experienced a ‘Jay-nami’. (To be continued)

Mark wasn’t to be deterred, however, and he invited one of his best buddies, Jay, along with Scott, Scott’s canine companion Maddux and Jim.

While Mark shed his Beyond Fleece Steel Windshirt and consulted the trail guide Scott hydrated and kept an eye on Maddux. Jay decided to surreptitiously check his GPS Unit. Not that Jay would betray a trust in Mark, but hey it never hurts to measure twice.

OK, at least Mark is sure where we came from.

Mount Blue rises from a solid ledge from deep in Garnet Lake to a height of 2940′ with an elevation gain of ~1500′ from the lake.

Been there and almost been there.

As a general guideline, 1 inch of black or white ice will probably hold you up. Two inches is safe, and six inches will hold up a moose. Thickness of suspect ice can usually be determined quite quickly by using an ice axe or auger to drill through. However, for advanced trip planning, you can use the following formula to estimate the thickness:

Z = ice thickness in inches
S = degree days accumulated below 32 oF
A = a coefficient which varies as follows:

(.8) -windy lake with no snow
(.5 to .7) - average lake with snow cover
(.2 to .4) - sheltered small river with rapid flow

S is calculated as follows: Suppose ice is formed December 15 and the mean temperature for December 16 was 5o F. To find degree days, subtract 5o F from 32o F for a value of 27. If on December 17 the temperature is 4o F, subtract 4o F from 32o F for a value of 28. S would then have a value of 55 by December 17 (27o F + 28o F = 55). Next take the square root of 55 (7.4). To determine ice thickness, multiple 7.4 by the appropriate coefficient A (say .8 for a windy lake with no snow), and your answer is 5.9 inches of ice. If you don’t know the date of ice formation, you can estimate by the following technique:

• For lakes 3 - 10 feet deep, freezing occurs very close to the date when the 3-day running mean temperature is 32o F and where temperatures remained mostly below that for the rest of the winter.
• For lakes 20 - 50 feet deep, the date of freeze-over occurs when the 40-day running mean temperature reaches 32o F.

Alternatively you can tie a rope around the largest group member and if they make it over safely, most should be good to follow.