If there was not a blizzard happening I would maybe pack and hike back to my car at trailhead. Winter backpacking I am usually 2 miles or less from trailhead.
I have mulled this event at camp many times.
Shug
If there was not a blizzard happening I would maybe pack and hike back to my car at trailhead. Winter backpacking I am usually 2 miles or less from trailhead.
I have mulled this event at camp many times.
Shug
Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven
This year will be my first time going backpacking in winter, snowshoes and all, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'll probably start closer to the trails, but would like to eventually work my way up and out of heavily trafficked areas, maybe rent a snowmo and get a weekend real far out... Awesome thread with tons of great advice. Thanks for bringing it up.
There's also the factor that was touched upon earlier in the thread that you're probably not going to die. You might be cold and you might not sleep, but you'll live most likely. HYOH.Originally Posted by BillyBob58
Well, if you get hypothermic from heat loss to the ground or snow, you might die. But probably not. But for me all I need is the thought of the discomfort from a night or two on the ground with no pad, to influence my decision. But some or most are tougher than me.
Because I didn't see it mentioned before, in the winter, with snow, I always have a snow shovel (the packing kind where the "shove" detaches from the shaft). One of my shovels has a snow saw in the handle. I know how to build an igloo and have. But usually, and time wise, just making a snow wall to keep the wind at bay is a great improvement. The wisdom of looking for widow maker branches is still sound but add to that watching out for healthy branches that might carry a heavy snow load. In the winter I'd be prone to run my tarp ridge line under the tarp for more support should I take a "snow bomb" from an overhead branch.
If you are going out more than a day's hike back, I highly suggest some sort of satellite messaging device like The Spot or one of the InReach models. We loose a few around here every year because they had no way to let someone back home know where they were. I'm not suggesting triggering a full on Search and Rescue (which is why I did not list a personal PBL). I'm suggesting that you make friends with someone who has a snow mobile or make a connection with a snowmobile club. If they agree to it, you can put a friend or club member on the devices notification list and have one of your pre-set messages say, "Please come and get me."
If needed, they will get an email asking for extraction along with the Lat/long of your location. My point is you don't need to bother search and rescue if you just need a ride out. And don't think it is "weak" to ask for that ride out if you've been unexpectantly stressed - like have just spend the night awake in the cold. Hypothermia is real. The usual mental message is, "I just need to lie down and take a nap." When that thought enters your head, it's time to eat food, drink water, keep moving.
So you can carry backup gear, go to ground options, etc. It's all good. But if you are really going deep - and out of cell phone range - it's nice to have a "come and get me" option in place.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
Quick thinking is really the key. Your equipment can be used in several ways. Always.
Being prepared is both a matter of equipment and a state of mind. They go hand in hand.
Notify people of the area you will be in and if it is out of cell range make sure you have another way of contacting someone.
Excellent post! A hammock hanger might find themselves needing to build a wind block as much or more than a ground dweller. BTW, since I got old, I now carry one of those satellite texting and call for help devices.
Great discussion! My perfect system would be equally comfortable /functional in the hammock or on the ground < but I havnt reached that point yet! I thought about making a hybrid underquilt, where the part that is under your back and lower legs would be a down underquilt, and the rest would be a pad sleeve for a ccf pad. (sort of a torso length uq with a pad sleeve for the leg portion. That way, you would have your sit pad and your leg pad to work with if you had to go to ground--at least its something! ) I might try to build one this winter. I know its rare for a hammock to fail, but it does happen!
FYI: If you want to know what type a certain bear is, sneak up behind it and kick it. Then,
run like crazy and climb up a tree. If the bear climbs the tree and eats you, it's a black
bear. If the bear just pushes the tree over and eats you, it's a grizzly bear : )
Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either, just leave me alone.
--unknown
I carry a small thermarest z lite sol pad and my Borah Gear Event snowy side bivy. The pad gets plenty of use.. Sitting on it and what not. The Bivy is so minimal, small and light I don't mind packing it just in case.. I decided to star gaze.. Above tree line, no trees, or God forbid hammock failure!!
What caused the close call on Copper Ridge? Lack of trees? Thinking of doing that trail next year.I do worry when going to someplace I haven't been before, so I google the heck out of it and ask around quite a bit to confirm. Copper Ridge in North Cascades NP was a close call at Boundary Camp and I was starting to think I should have brought an air mat, and in Baxter State Park, ME there was one camp area we used (Pogy Pond) where neither hammocks nor tents are permitted. So I grudgingly carried that extra 10.4 oz air mat and 1.6 oz pillow around for a few days.
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