Backcountry
Winter Trails
The on-line journal of travel and adventure in the undiscovered season.
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The on-line journal of travel and adventure in the undiscovered season. |
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Backcountry Winter Camping (Click here to go directly to Winter Camping 2) Three key links for information on Winter Camping:
National
Outdoor Leadership School
(NOLS)
Discover the "Undiscovered Season" for Camping! Most people, actually too many people who actively bike, hike and camp in the snowless times of the year, (even those who actively ski and snowshoe) put away their camping gear when the first snow falls. Winter is the "undiscovered season" for camping! There are no pests: no blood-thirsty mosquitoes, no bears invading your campsite, no marauding raccoons, chipmunks or skunks, and no crowds! And with a little planning, preparation and the right equipment, you don't have to suffer, or even be cold. There are basically two schools of thought on winter camping, which are illustrated in the first two books shown above; the "traditional" techniques, using canvas tents with portable wood stoves, pulled behind you on a sled or toboggan, and the "modern" method, with lightweight nylon tents, and "heavy-duty" backpacking gear, as most recently described in the NOLS book. The AMC book deals primarily with the modern tools and techniques, but the author gives credence to his friends Garrett and Alexandra Conover, the "gurus" of the resurgence of traditionalist winter camping, in what I consider to be one of the best winter camping guidebooks I have ever read. (And I have a shelf-full.) Our new "Winter Camping 2" page (Under Construction) will deal with these "new traditional" camping skills and gear, while we will link you off-site for information on the modern techniques and equipment. The reason for this is that we will be "discovering by doing" over the winter of 2005-06. We invite you to come along, figuratively and literally, at our 2nd Annual Backcountry Winter Workshop. (Click for more information) Enjoy the trip! |
