Emigrant, MT, Christmas 2011
We vacationed in a rental house in Emigrant, MT, for Christmas 2011. The house had about 20 Acres of land with some trees, so I was able to get in a one-night hang... sort of...
My gear:
HH Expedition A-Sym with Hennessy UQ. (2QZQ zipper mod #4, stock HH rainfly.)
Standard straps, Nitize Figure 9 on each end to allow adjustment.
Blue CCF pad 72" X 20" inside hammock.
North Face Elkhorn synthetic sleeping bag rated for 0* F.
El-Pine socks
Columbia silver-matrix underwear
Hooded fleece jersey
Fleece pants
Merino wool crocheted toque (Daughter made it. Very thick yarn, very bulky.)
Winter coat (Draped over the bottom half of the sleeping bag.)
Wool gloves
When I got into my hammock at 9:00 P.M., the temperature was minus 6* F. with a breeze of about 3 MPH. Due to the terrain and snow, I was not able to pitch my rainfly in a very protective manner; it pretty much channeled the (slight) breeze right at me. Still, I was OK.
She Who Must Be Obeyed sent my Son out to drag me inside at about 2:00 A.M. The temperature had dropped to minus 15* F., and the wind had picked up to about 5 MPH with a few gusts in the 10 to 15 MPH range.
I was toasty warm, sleeping like a baby.
The Wife had awakened, checked the temperature, and had tried to call me. I would have been all right except that my cell phone battery had gone dead.
Wife was afraid I had gone hypothermic and could not answer the phone.
Upshot: I believe that, with a superior tarp, my rig could go down to the range of minus 20* F. to minus 25* F..
Also, I believe an OQ could get me there too.
A superior tarp plus an OQ could, I believe, get me down below minus 30*F..
Yellowstone was beautiful in Winter. I recommend a Winter journey to YNP if you get the chance.
You will be glad you did.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks