Hi all,
I had my first overnight hammocking adventure last weekend. I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. We are having an early spring this year, though I had intended to go on this trip when it was -20C in Feb. However the weekend I had available in Feb. ended up being -40C, for those of you south of the 49th parallel that's still -40F. That was too cold!
The plan was to go to Hemenway Lake, a little lake in the Whiteshell Provincial Park that I have hiked thru in the past. So last week a friend and I hiked straight across Big Whiteshell Lake. This was a little scary as it was 12C (53F). The lake was still covered in snow with just a few puddles. All in all it was a wonderful hike across the lake. At the far shore my friend had to say goodbye and headed back to his car. We parted ways and I went another km or 2 up into the bush to my campsite. By 5:30 I was well fed and comfy in my hammock. My boots had become water logged as I made camp so I was happier in my hammock then exploring.
I have to be honest I didn't sleep particularly well. I had more then enough insulation two synthetic sleeping bags (one as a top quilt and one as a pod) and a Therma-Rest pad that I inserted into a DIY SPE. At times I had to vent my sleeping bag as I was starting to perspire. I think it was just getting used to a new situation that kept me from falling completely asleep. I am sure I dozed but I never slept soundly. Over night clouds rolled in but there was no precipitation so even though I hung my tarp I never pulled it out of it's snake skins.
In the morning I couldn't convince myself to get outta the hammock as I was so comfy. Also the fear of how cold and wet my boots were was a factor. Once I did finally get up I broke camp quickly. Just before I was about to set off I noticed a HUGE puddle on Hemenway Lake. This sent a wave a fear through me but I pushed through. I hiked the 20 min or so back to Big Whiteshell. Once there the lake was covered in water! There were tracks where snowmobiles had compacted the snow, but it still looked scary. It took me several minutes to remind myself that there was still a Canadian winters worth of ice under the melted snow...at least in the centre of the lake. I also knew that the shores were the most dangerous part. In the distance I could see some people ice fishing which gave me confidence (false confidence?) so I set off...I didn't notice I had dropped my on the shore for a few 100m. I briefly considered leaving it...then went back to get it. Cursed myself for having to cross the shoreline two more times and got going. I couldn't believe how happy I was getting back on shore for my first break. I didn't stay long though as I just wanted to get to my van. I skipped the second break as the shore did not look safe enough. By the time I reached the third opportunity to rest on an island I was again happy I could find a solid route up onto land. Back onto the lake for the last push. By now my hiking boots were completely water logged and I had learned that walking through the puddles was easier then trying to stay on the snow. About 1km from the entry point there was a narrows where the shore and an island make a shallow area. To the east is a reedy marshy area that I started getting too close to. At one point I noticed bubbles moving under the ice as i pushed with my hiking pole. I quickly got ready to lay on the ice and moved carefully to the middle of the channel. Once on solid ice again I started to breath. Surely that was the last scare... I trudged on and stopped to talk with some people ice fishing. They had a nice catch and were friendly. As my iPhone battery had died before getting onto the lake in the morning I asked what time it was and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was considerably earlier then I thought. I confirmed I was just around one the corner from my destination and was about to head off when they warned me about the slush. Slush I thought smugly the whole lake is slush, I'll be fine. As I start to get within 250m it gets really really slushy. Then I start to see huge holes in the ice. Luckily there is a family on shore...with about 100m to go they pack up and leave! As I break through the top layer of ice, I continue to remind myself that there should be more ice under this layer. Luckily for me there was and I survived to write this account.
At the end of the day this was an amazing trip, which I will totally try again...as long as the temps are under -10. I will not play with melting ice again! I also think I may retrace this trip with a kayak this summer. As for hammock camping I have materials on the way for a Climashield under quilt, a new silnylon tarp and bug netting for my next 3 day, 66km thru hike down the Mantario Train May long weekend.
Cheers all, thanks for reading.
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