As a supplement to our “You Might Be a Winter Camper If….” and Top 10 Reasons to Go Winter Camping series we have adapted the New Nomads list of 101 truly compelling reasons to do a long distance hike to fit the winter camping theme. Here are more compelling reasons to go winter camping.
- Create more empathy with the homeless
- Learn to accept help from others
- Learn how to balance a pack on skis/snowshoes while performing an icy water crossing
- Develop an admirable tolerance for cold toes
- Make yourself qualified to write a book / blog
- Join interesting group of people who are just as antisocial as you are
- It will make for an interesting blog topic
- Find yourself; find God; or find cool things left behind by those summer camping wimps
- Make peace with the voices in your head
- Learn how to protect your bag of trail mix or learn to share
- Be judged not by the amount of money you make, but by the warmth of your toes
- People just have to take your word for it when you tell them how much fun you had
- Become obsessed by idle thoughts of hot chocolate
- No reason \ nothing better to do
- Break your addiction to Facebook
- Release yourself from the claws of culture
- Ample meditation time during the 12 hours of darkness
- It provides an excuse to wear a red union suit with a back panel
- Breathe clean air
- Hot salty soup never tasted so good
- Become more in tune with a natural existence
- Restore your feeling of love for life
- Great opportunity to practice otherwise useless skills learned at scout camp
- No chance of drunk texting anyone
- Confront and overcome fears of the dark, animals, death, storms, and loneliness
- Fun
- Acquire an unflattering nickname based on a stranger’s perception of your primary qualities
- Develop strong leg muscles from snowshoeing
- Get that “look” in your eyes
- Give your mother a real reason to worry about you
- You can completely change your personality and blame it on “What happened out there.”
- Learn to appreciate the distinctions among brands of instant oatmeal
- Eat absolutely whatever you want with no ill effect
- Acquire winter camping stories
- Justify purchase of expensive winter clothing
- Take your mind off anything unpleasant going on in your life
- Learn perseverance
- Learn to read the night sky
- Gain survival confidence
- Redefine your standards for cleanliness, hunger, and entertainment