Maybe you can convince her that snow camping is fun and that she should practice as well.Originally Posted by saltysack
I'm not lost. I'm exploring.
Rather than check the weather in a town near where you'll be, check ATweather.org . Pretty simple to navigate - just select AT, select the state, then select the shelter you'd like the forecast for - but some of the shelters in the NC/TN border will make you search twice because they may be in either TN or NC
This. If the forecast has lows below freezing, I switch from 20 to 0 degree bag.
It's all good in the woods.
So would you suggest sleeping outside and spending as much time ouside as possible to adjust a few days before the hike?
Absolutely. Acclimation is only part of it, you also need to know IF your gear will actually work for you, but also specifically HOW to beat deploy that gear. It may be something as simple as the best direction to lay your sleeping bag to keep condensation off of you.
I’m signed up for my first winter backpacking trip in January, I’ve been testing and tweaking my hammock setup in my backyard a couple of nights a week for the past 3 weeks. Each time I’m tweaking. Plus, it gives me another excuse to sleep outside.
Same goes for even just hiking: know what combination of layers work best for any given temperature.
No cotton clothing...if it gets wet from sweat or any other reason you're going to freeze.
Dress in layers that you can quickly put on and take off. Usually it's not always cold. There will be times when your body feels colder than other times.
Yes. Sleep naked in a hammock outside for one week before your trip to acclimate to the cold. You're allowed to drink warm drinks to try and stay warm, but not cloths or sleeping insulation.
On a more serious note. I find I acclimate to cold weather by being out in it for extended periods of time and keeping my clothing minimal, so I'm constantly cool, but NOT cold. Sleeping cold sucks and makes getting adequate sleep difficult or impossible, and thus sleeping cold is probably not the best way to acclimate.
I'm not lost. I'm exploring.
I agree with this post, this method of hiking has worked for me over the years. As you pull into camp I get into my sleeping bag when I'm still warm as it will heat your bag. I generally don't need to dry my clothing but if you find that it's still a bit damp I'll continue wearing it until it's dry.
One thing I learned about myself and winter camping---in tough conditions you don't want to leave the tent for ANY REASONS. Peeing inside the tent in a bottle or squatting in the vestibule is just one consideration. The other big challenge is birthing a pesky Turtlehead in a hellstorm blizzard at 0F with 40mph winds. To drop trousers and push out a human turd in such conditions can be done inside the tent or vestibule with just a couple paper towels and a ziploc bag. Place the whole wad in the bag afterwards and throw bag in the snow outside the tent. It will freeze solid. The next day when packing up dig a cathole and empty the contents of the bag into the ground. Put old ziploc in your trash bag. Voila, 7.6 lbs lighter.
I know, I know, I can hear the replies: "I'm just glad I don't camp with you." The mantra "when push comes to shove" has new meaning here.
It's true that the more time you spend in cold temps backpacking and camping, the better you can handle the cold. My recent December trip is proof of this. I was shocked after a long hot summer to get a couple first snowy nights at around 10F but I slowly came around to embracing Miss Nature's plans.
Therefore there's a sliding scale of what you can endure. After 3 or 4 days at 0F or -10F, a day at 10F seems balmy. Acclimation. When the forecast calls for 20F you know you have it made and that particular challenging cold snap is over . . . until the next one. Plus, sleeping out in the backyard every night between trips really helps too.
I know your hike is probably over, but other people can benefit from all this cold weather advice. It's been a while, but I remember a few things from COLD cold weather hiking from back in the day:
I used spare wool sox as mittens.
I kept my night and next morning water supply in the sleeping bag because it froze solid if I didn't. I kept my hiking water relatively close to my skin all day in really cold weather so it wouldn't freeze.
Boots will freeze up overnight, but if you stick your feet in them and walk around on your tip toes, the boot will eventually thaw and your foot will eventually slide in and fit properly.
I only made 6 miles per day in knee deep snow. I couldn't afford snow shoes back then. It is possible to get so much snow, you could get trapped.
Any food with liquid in it (canned meat, etc) can freeze solid. You can still eat it, but it will eat like a popsicle.
During long stretches of cold, it was too cold to clean up in the evening. After 4 or 5 days, I stank so badly, the smell woke me up at night. Consider how you're going to keep clean. You can shower with any temperature of water as long as it's not frozen. Start off by building a good fire, 5 quarts of water, and a cup. Pour a cup of water on your head. Shampoo your head and wash your face. The next cup or two rinses your head and face, and gets your upper body wet. Wash your upper body. Then next cup or two rinses your head, face, upper body and gets your mid and lower body wet. Keep working your way down. If you can warm the last quart of water, use it last to rinse from head to toe, and to warm up. A small hand towel, or thick dry washcloth, is good enough to dry off with.
Sunglasses in case you hike in snow with lots of sunshine.
Some kind of metal traction thingies to attach to the bottom of your boots in case you get a snow melt in the afternoon, and a hard freeze during the night, and end up having to walk on hard ice. Rare, that you'd need it, but it can happen. Same thing with hiking sticks. I use 2 mop handles as walking sticks, drill a hole in the bottom, cut the head off of a heavy duty nail, put in the drilled hole in the bottom so the point can be used for ice traction.
A sleeping bag far, far warmer than you think you could possibly need. Good padding to insulate from whatever kind of deck you'll sleep on, be it ground, wood shelter, rock.
You don't have to try and wear your dirty or wet outer hiking clothing, in camp at night. Walking around in thermal underwear is OK. Bring a heavy duty thick top and bottom.
A fire is really good at boosting morale when it's super cold, and good at drying out clothes. Make sure you have good wet weather fire building skills. A hatchet is the most helpful, but very heavy. However, a fire with a good supply of wood could save your life....never can tell.
Stay hydrated, even if you end up drinking TOO much water. Always eat high fiber in your meals so you can crap before you go to bed, and definitely use a pee bottle INSIDE your sleeping bag, while laying on your side. I use Nalgene wide mouth. If you're female, I have no idea how to take care of this.
Make sure some of your foods are high in fiber. You'll need lots of calories, so a slightly higher amount of fat helps. Fat boosts the effects of carbohydrates for energy and generating body heat. If your food doesn't have enough fat, consider bringing a small bottle of oil and add a small amount to each meal.
Do whatever you have to do to stay dry.
You just killed the resale value of your tent!
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Hot chocolate warms the belly before bed, I always bring some on winter trips. The old nalgene full of hot water trick is also good. small nalgenes can heat up your boots in the morning, too.
Consider winter night hiking. Dont immediately assume you have to dive into camp. With rime and snow on the trees, crunching of snow underfoot, coming across a herd of deer or elk, while being temp comfortable wearing a headlamp out under a clear winter night sky has been one of the most memorable experiences. Think planetarium experience but more profound. Many sections of the AT this is possible. Never forget doing this across Roan Mt. No regrets passing up the Roan Mt cabin to reach the next AT lean to at 1 a.m. MAGICAL.
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New Year’s Eve on top of Roan Mountain is absolutely on my Bucket List.
Wayne
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