kltilton
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But you probably already knew this.
I went out winter camping for the first time in my life this past weekend on the Garfield Ridge. Some friends from college: Pete, Jesse, Coby and Lisa, and a friend from home, Tim, told me I would have so much fun. I enjoy camping in the summer and hiking year round, so I figured it would be worth a shot.
Tim outfitted me with some winter gear and we all met in Lincoln on Saturday morning. We knew it would be a cold weekend, but it's winter. Our group of six headed up the Skookumchuck Trail, which we had to pack out. Pete blasted up the trail off the start as usual, like a bull in a china shop. The trail was really beautiful with the new snow that had fallen during the week and the snowshoeing was great. The wide-open sections about half way up the trail under the trees reminded me of some of the backcountry skiing you see in Warren Miller videos.
We finally met tree line a little below the intersection with the Garfield Ridge Trail, where the wind was whipping and snow was blowing against the clear blue sky. It got cold in a hurry as we made our way over the ice, snow and rocks. We took shelter behind a small ridge and looked out over the Pemi. It was beautiful. We were protected from the wind and were able to enjoy the magnificent views. It was breathtaking. We were standing in the shadow of Lafayette as we looked out over Owl’s Head to the Bond ridge and over to Garfield. It is one thing to see the terrain on a map, but another to see it in person. It got me thinking about my planned run of the Pemi in May. It will be nice to enjoy the scenery without having to carry a huge pack and having to find creative ways to keep my hands warm. Of course at this point my camera batteries died from the cold.
After doing some sightseeing we hit the Garfield Ridge Trail and headed east towards Garfield. We decided to set up camp just below tree line at around 3 PM. The winds were pretty calm and we all settled in and had dinner using Coby’s stove. We reminisced about stories from our college running days and about whether yetis really exist.
Being my first time winter camping things were going pretty well. My clothes were a little wet, but I was handling it pretty well. I figured it would be worth it once I saw some more scenery the next day. The double boots that Steve Bamsey let me borrow probably saved me a few of my toes. I curled up in my bag and ate pretzels and half a block of cheese.
Once darkness finally fell the winds picked up and cooled things off quite a bit. I had a 0° bag and was plenty warm for most of the night. Condensation built up on the inside of our tent though, and we were rained on every time the wind kicked up. I got a little cold around 5 AM though. By 6 we were all awake and talking and trying to muster up enough courage to get out of our bags and eat / pack / perform essential bodily functions. Jesse saved himself some of that trouble by using a strategically placed Gatorade bottle in his bag.
We got up around 7 AM and started to make breakfast. Tim checked his thermometer and it read -10°F. Brrrr. Nothing like putting on damp clothes at that temperature in a tent filled with condensation. Why exactly did I do this again?
We packed up camp and decided to head up Lafayette and down the Old Bridle Path where we had dropped a car the previous day at the Lafayette Place Campground. We all had a hard time keeping our hands and fingers warm that morning while packing, but we figured we would warm up once we started hiking.
That didn’t happen. Lisa and I both had really cold feet and decided to bail down the Skookumchuck. The rest of the group followed suit when faced with the possibility of –50°F wind chills for about 2 hours of hiking with full packs above with no shelter until Greenleaf Hut. Once we hit tree line the winds calmed and Pete and Coby showed some signs of minor frostbite.
The trip down was a lot of fun. We could see glimpses of Garfield and views to the north through the trees. A few other groups we met on our way down had packed the trail out further. Coby and I remarked how we wish we had brought our skis. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful except for a few butt-sliding sections. I was feeling a little tired on the trip down, due to a lack of nourishment. You know its cold when I don’t even want to cook warm food. I lived for most of the weekend on peanut butter pretzels, rice crispie treats, and cheese. I was craving some chili from Wendy’s, like I always do when I get hungry in the mountains. I have Tim, Steve, and Marc Chauvin to thank for that one.
We scarfed down more food at the parking lot and headed back home. Jesse and I stopped at Wendy’s on the way back. Most people go hiking or camping to stay in touch with nature. I hike to remind myself how much I love fast food chicken sandwiches and chili.
Photos
I went out winter camping for the first time in my life this past weekend on the Garfield Ridge. Some friends from college: Pete, Jesse, Coby and Lisa, and a friend from home, Tim, told me I would have so much fun. I enjoy camping in the summer and hiking year round, so I figured it would be worth a shot.
Tim outfitted me with some winter gear and we all met in Lincoln on Saturday morning. We knew it would be a cold weekend, but it's winter. Our group of six headed up the Skookumchuck Trail, which we had to pack out. Pete blasted up the trail off the start as usual, like a bull in a china shop. The trail was really beautiful with the new snow that had fallen during the week and the snowshoeing was great. The wide-open sections about half way up the trail under the trees reminded me of some of the backcountry skiing you see in Warren Miller videos.
We finally met tree line a little below the intersection with the Garfield Ridge Trail, where the wind was whipping and snow was blowing against the clear blue sky. It got cold in a hurry as we made our way over the ice, snow and rocks. We took shelter behind a small ridge and looked out over the Pemi. It was beautiful. We were protected from the wind and were able to enjoy the magnificent views. It was breathtaking. We were standing in the shadow of Lafayette as we looked out over Owl’s Head to the Bond ridge and over to Garfield. It is one thing to see the terrain on a map, but another to see it in person. It got me thinking about my planned run of the Pemi in May. It will be nice to enjoy the scenery without having to carry a huge pack and having to find creative ways to keep my hands warm. Of course at this point my camera batteries died from the cold.
After doing some sightseeing we hit the Garfield Ridge Trail and headed east towards Garfield. We decided to set up camp just below tree line at around 3 PM. The winds were pretty calm and we all settled in and had dinner using Coby’s stove. We reminisced about stories from our college running days and about whether yetis really exist.
Being my first time winter camping things were going pretty well. My clothes were a little wet, but I was handling it pretty well. I figured it would be worth it once I saw some more scenery the next day. The double boots that Steve Bamsey let me borrow probably saved me a few of my toes. I curled up in my bag and ate pretzels and half a block of cheese.
Once darkness finally fell the winds picked up and cooled things off quite a bit. I had a 0° bag and was plenty warm for most of the night. Condensation built up on the inside of our tent though, and we were rained on every time the wind kicked up. I got a little cold around 5 AM though. By 6 we were all awake and talking and trying to muster up enough courage to get out of our bags and eat / pack / perform essential bodily functions. Jesse saved himself some of that trouble by using a strategically placed Gatorade bottle in his bag.
We got up around 7 AM and started to make breakfast. Tim checked his thermometer and it read -10°F. Brrrr. Nothing like putting on damp clothes at that temperature in a tent filled with condensation. Why exactly did I do this again?
We packed up camp and decided to head up Lafayette and down the Old Bridle Path where we had dropped a car the previous day at the Lafayette Place Campground. We all had a hard time keeping our hands and fingers warm that morning while packing, but we figured we would warm up once we started hiking.
That didn’t happen. Lisa and I both had really cold feet and decided to bail down the Skookumchuck. The rest of the group followed suit when faced with the possibility of –50°F wind chills for about 2 hours of hiking with full packs above with no shelter until Greenleaf Hut. Once we hit tree line the winds calmed and Pete and Coby showed some signs of minor frostbite.
The trip down was a lot of fun. We could see glimpses of Garfield and views to the north through the trees. A few other groups we met on our way down had packed the trail out further. Coby and I remarked how we wish we had brought our skis. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful except for a few butt-sliding sections. I was feeling a little tired on the trip down, due to a lack of nourishment. You know its cold when I don’t even want to cook warm food. I lived for most of the weekend on peanut butter pretzels, rice crispie treats, and cheese. I was craving some chili from Wendy’s, like I always do when I get hungry in the mountains. I have Tim, Steve, and Marc Chauvin to thank for that one.
We scarfed down more food at the parking lot and headed back home. Jesse and I stopped at Wendy’s on the way back. Most people go hiking or camping to stay in touch with nature. I hike to remind myself how much I love fast food chicken sandwiches and chili.
Photos
![Yellowstone National Park [Map Pack Bundle] (National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51kGuJ72qjL._SL500_.jpg)
![Grand Canyon, North and South Rims [Grand Canyon National Park] (National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/419Y-ycyVUL._SL500_.jpg)
![Grand Teton Day Hikes and National Park Map [Map Pack Bundle] (National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41DB0jvRnbL._SL500_.jpg)
