Re: [at-l] winter camping

[Jan Ladd <JanLadd@ix.netcom.com>]

Has anyone done snowshoeing as a recreational sport?
just wondering
Sunnie

Owen wrote:

> CHoovers:
> We do a lot of hiking in the winter, though not a lot of camping. I love
> being out on snowshoes in a couple feet of snow. You see all the tracks
> of the wildlife that you never seen in summer: the sweep of a grouses
> wings, enormous turkey tracks, the path of a fox pouncing on mouse
> holes, the deer bedding areas, etc.  I love the crunch of the snow
> underfoot and the creak of the trees overhead - the tinkle of falling
> icicles all around.  I love going out in the middle of the night when
> the air is crisp and cold and so very clear overhead it almost hurts.
> (Of course, I hate thinking about going out in the middle of the night -
> but then  there is the joy of jumping back into a still warm sleeping
> bag afterwards!)  I like camping in the winter - but it does entail more
> work, more weight, and the nights can be very long.
>
> The only time we have wished we had crampons was New Years Weekend in
> the Catskills about 4 years ago. There had been a week of snowmelt
> followed by a week of temperatures in the low teens - the mountain was
> solid ice.  We had brought snowshoes, since we expected snow - but
> didn't even think about ice conditions. It took 3 hours to climb 3
> miles. We looked down the backside of the mountain and it was a solid
> ice slide, the only question was which rocks we would bounce off. It was
> 4 or 5 miles to the only water on that section, so we had 4 or 5 hours
> of hiking before we could camp, if we didn't get hurt, and it was
> already 2 or 3 o'clock. We decided to do the smart thing, and turn
> around. I slid most of the way down on my backside.  We stayed in the
> back of the truck that night at the trailhead. About 2 hours after dark
> the last people came down off the mountain. We could hear them cursing
> from half a mile away - especially after they tried to cross the stream
> in the dark!  The next day we went to Harriman State Park and had an
> easy day hike - no ice! Since then, we pay attention to things like snow
> melt followed by deep freeze, and try to avoid that.  I also like to
> avoid really rocky trails in the winter. If there is snow, you can't see
> what is underfoot and really risk injury by stepping on or between
> rocks.  Around here - we have hiked the AT in Southern PA, the Big Blue,
> and the Catoctin Trails in snowy conditions and had a blast.  Of course,
> the last two winters have been so mild we just hiked normally.
>
> Ginny
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