Who here is excited about snow camping?

[Trail Runner]

For your sake OneClick (and others), I hope we have an epic winter. That said, I've noticed that the squirrels in my neighborhood have been rather lackadaisical in their acorn gathering this fall. Maybe it's because of an abundance of acorns or maybe they know something we don't. Or quite possibly it doesn't mean anything and I'm placing my subconscious desires onto the behavior of a bunch of dim-witted squirrels.

[cmc4free]

Or quite possibly it doesn't mean anything and I'm placing my subconscious desires onto the behavior of a bunch of dim-witted squirrels.

"While it might be frustrating for squirrels to lose their carefully hidden nuts, it can be beneficial for other organisms. In particular, it can help the forest itself! A study done at the University of Richmond cites that squirrels fail to recover up to 74% of the nuts they bury. This misplacing of so many acorns (the seeds of oak trees), the study says, is likely responsible for oak forest regeneration. When squirrels misplace these buried acorns they allow for these seeds to eventually grow into full oak trees! The squirrels’ habit of widespread caching is also important to the growth of the forest, as it allows the genetic information to spread far."

[michigandave]

I'm ready for winter camping season after a backpacking season that was a little too hot this year. Fall seems to go by in a blink of an eye and I really miss getting out for a long weekend hike. But, we've got the Gluttony Hang next weekend here in Michigan and that kicks off the hot tent season.

Bring on the snow!

[poor_jalopy]

Getting colder here in Northern Vermont. Just started getting my cold weather gear together. I made some homemade fire starters last year. Melted wax into a muffin tin containing a candlewick, some wood pellets and a cotton ball. They worked pretty good. Got the idea off a J Kelly Nolan. Outdoors, a you tuber. I also never walk past any good tender. Carry a small bag to hold it in. Can't wait and getting all excited. I must have a screw loose somewhere. Take care.

Cheapest favorite firestarter method is those cardboard egg cartons filled with dryer lint in each egg slot, then drizzled with enough melted wax to hold it all together. Easy to break off singles, pretty close to free, and best of all I convinced my children that they're fun to make, so I don't even have to make them anymore.

[michigandave]

Update from NOAA for the 2019-2020 winter season, but good news for Michigan since they predict more snow and rain than last season with more or less the same temps (https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...st/4010077002/ ). Works for me!

[OneClick]

I no longer believe ANYTHING. Not even as a general idea or trend in the weather pattern. This is from the same CPC that does the 6-10 and 8-14 day outlooks...which failed MISERABLY and consistently over the past 4 months. Time after time. Just useless. My trips were literally the total opposite of what they said just days before the forecast was no longer valid. They just swap out the graphics and update the forecast when they realize it's wrong. The few days of overlap makes it seem like they weren't wrong. I know it's not intentional...but just useless. Still, not as bad as accuweather's 90-day forecast.

I love the big winter storms that are talked up a week in advance, then end up dropping a couple inches of snow. The forecast was good; the storm just "under-performed".

[Flash Grundelore]

No!
Snow is god's way of telling you to stay inside and hibernate.
If he had intended for us to go camp out in the icy cold of Winter, 0°-TQ/UQs and muck-lucks wouldn't cost so much!

[Hint: cut a piece of Reflectix or Reflectanium to the pattern of your boot liner, and stick it underneath for extra toezsie warmth... I did JUST leave Maine, remember?]

[Chard]

No!
Snow is god's way of telling you to stay inside and hibernate.

Nay!

Snow is God's frosty, white canvas upon which we paint our joy to be alive.

Besides, no one ever got a mosquito bite in a snowstorm!

[cmoulder]

No!
Snow is god's way of telling you to stay inside and hibernate.
If he had intended for us to go camp out in the icy cold of Winter, 0°-TQ/UQs and muck-lucks wouldn't cost so much!

[Hint: cut a piece of Reflectix or Reflectanium to the pattern of your boot liner, and stick it underneath for extra toezsie warmth... I did JUST leave Maine, remember?]

Nay!

Snow is God's frosty, white canvas upon which we paint our joy to be alive.

Besides, no one ever got a mosquito bite in a snowstorm!

Snow is clean, snow is dry, snow means you don't have to search for water, snow is a great construction material, snow means there are no spider webs across the trail, snow smooths out rocky trails, snow covers up the ugly parts.

[cmoulder]

I no longer believe ANYTHING. Not even as a general idea or trend in the weather pattern. This is from the same CPC that does the 6-10 and 8-14 day outlooks...which failed MISERABLY and consistently over the past 4 months. Time after time. Just useless. My trips were literally the total opposite of what they said just days before the forecast was no longer valid. They just swap out the graphics and update the forecast when they realize it's wrong. The few days of overlap makes it seem like they weren't wrong. I know it's not intentional...but just useless. Still, not as bad as accuweather's 90-day forecast.

I love the big winter storms that are talked up a week in advance, then end up dropping a couple inches of snow. The forecast was good; the storm just "under-performed".

+100

And they never come back and say "Umm... we wuz wrong..."

We once got a weather forecast that called for 10 inches of snow, and it ended up that there wasn't enough snow in the entire county to make a snowman. Then last year we got a forecast for "trace to an inch" and got more than 8" and the lack of preparation by road crews caused a gigantic mess.