[at-l] Winter Camping Advice

[Trailmixup@aol.com]

Hi all, 
 
I've been getting lots of good advice, as well as some really good questions, about my first winter overnight. I'll comment on some here, since there are others on the list who may be interested in this subject and may want to learn a few tricks, too.  (This is from memory, so I hope I don't leave any out.)

I had worn a great fleece hat that bands around the
neck, providing a bit of extra warmth there.  My head was warm all nightlong; my exposed face was not.  (Later in the night, I burrowed deeply into the bag to escape the cold, but I was amazed at how much cold air was coming into the bag, even cinched fairly tightly!  I tried to aim my mouth and nose at the opening to avoid the buildup of moisture inside the bag -- which I happen to know can be a real problem.  What a sight that must have been!  Hiking is definitely not a glamour sport.

My bag is a campmor 20* bag -- as to the reliability of that rating, I can't make any claims.  I used a silk bag liner too.  Maybe I need to use a fleece liner, or a heavier bag, or two bags....these are all things I will experiment with in future attempts.  (According to my thermometer, the tent temp was 25* -- no winds outside.)

I used an ensolite pad and a thermarest.  I did not feel that the insulation below me was a problem; it seemed to be more from the bag's top and sides that I was feeling cold.  (BTW: in the summer months, I'm often slippin' and slidin' off the pads all night long.  On this particular night, however, I remained ON the pads -- even in my sleep I must have been 'conscious' of the need to stay ON that blasted pad!!)
 
The bag is a regular length, mummy-style bag and a bit roomy.  I could really get away with a child's bag, I think.  This one was on sale.  Children's bags rarely go on sale. ;-)  Maybe I could cut away abit and size it down better for my frame - keeping the extra feathers, just losing some of the bag?  (At one point I looked up *through* the bag -- and could see gaps in the baffles where the down was not evenly distributed.  I'm sure that I was losing a good bit of heat through those gaps.  In the morning I examined the bag again -- and found no gaps.  What gives?)

I sleep cold and run a normal body temp of about 97.2*; additionally, my blood pressure is -very- low (like 90/70 [extremely low #s like that [sometimes even lower]are typical --it varies).  My pulse rate is often as low as 54 (normal resting rates for me range from 54 to 60).  'Don't know if these would effect my ability to generate heat?

Someone asked if I had eaten enough before bedtime?  I ate one Lipton's Noodles packet and had a cup of cocoa. 'Wasn't really hungry enough to *want* more; 'may even have eaten more than I wanted -- just because it was "there."    I also took a brisk walk around the camp before retiring, so I had hoped that that was sufficient to prime the furnace before retiring.  (And it may have done just that, since I was comfortable when I first got to sleep.  I did not awaken, cold, until 4 hours later. 
 
At that time, I did isotonic exercises to try to generate some heat -- no luck.  Maybe I needed to get up and move around -- jumping jacks?  Do you think that would have helped or hindered?) I know that a full bladder can add to one's cold discomfort -- that's probably what did me in at 4:05 AM when I finally decided that I'd had enough and went inside for good.
 
I used 2 handwarmers inside my sleeping bag -- one at my feet and the other in my fleece sweater.  (I had on 2 pairs of socks, bergaline long underwear and top, and  fleece top and bottom -- so chic!)  I think the hotwater Nalgene bottle would be a better option for me.  One of the hand warmers was still warm (barely) in the morning when I finally got up for the day (around 8:30 AM)-- I tested it.  But I'll try the nalgene next time.  
 
Incidently, I had pitched the tent on a packed snow surface.  When I took the tent down in the morning, I noted that the area under my torso consisted of still-packed snow; the area under my legs was melted snow -- turned into ice!  Could this have been the handwarmer at work?  Could this have been a factor in my being cold?
 
I was also wondering how I would have fared had I needed to put my wet boots into the bag with me (plastic-wrapped, of course) to keep them from freezing!  This would most certainly have made the situation even worse for me! brrrr.
 
Someone questioned whether having come from indoors first reduced the effectiveness of my body to generate heat.  That was a question that I had posed.  Any ideas on that?  (ie, does that make one "soft?")  This speaks to the whole issue of acclimatizing oneself to the cold. This is a *difficult* one for me....the temptation to be toasty warm is sssoooo appealing to me.  But I'm going to gut it out and give it a real try.

I had a tent that is really too roomy for me.  Maybe I need to use a bivy -- less tent to "heat up."  That was a thought that had crossed my mind when I opted for the Walrus (single wall) instead of the Gossamer.  Next time, I'll try the bivy.

A few people (these definitely were *not* women!) commented that I may be too thin (God bless 'em) and suggested that perhaps I should consider putting on a few more pounds to insulate me.  AHGHHH.  This is anathema to any woman!  Ain't gonna happen.  No way.  Nosireebob.  Next suggestion?!  ;-)  
 
My favorite suggestion was to pack in a "friend" -- preferably a warm-sleeping type of hiker! That is an infinitely more agreeable solution! 

Anyway, I think I covered everything in terms of feedback/questions received.  Thanks for all the input. This was a great experiment for me and the feedback has been wonderful.  I'm definitely going to try this again. Hey, ma!  Look at me!  I may just turn into a winter camping convert afterall!  
 
Trailmixup


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