I finally got a chance to head to the hills and do some winter camping. My original plan was to go on Monday. But I couldn't find a good place to go with enough snow. However, on Wednesday, Utah was hit with a good winter storm, and we got lots of snow. So, I grabbed my stuff, my son and my dog and pulled the sled into a good spot.
Here is the sled I used. It is one I made with 2 downhill skiis mounted to 2X4's and plywood. I made it last year with the scouts.
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The sled proved to not be as good as I hoped. More on that later.
Here is my son next to the sled after we pulled it to our camping spot.
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The canyon we went to has a gate at the entrance. In the summer, it is a well used canyon with RV's and car campers. However, because of the gate, only snowmobiles and hikers can get into it. You can still camp, you just have to walk. Luckily for us, snowmobiles had packed the fresh powder. We dragged the sled on the packed trail fairly easily. However, once we hit the powder, the sled became a boat anchor. I decided to camp about 1/4 mile from the gate due to laziness. We stopped at a nice RV site with picnic tables and lots of snow.
Here are some deer we saw.
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My dog tried to chase them, but they were way too far, and she soon realized she couldn't get them. Silly dog.
Here is a picture of me. This is the best I can do with an 8 yr old taking it.
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I am wearing a wool blanket jacket my wife sewed for me, mil surplus wool pants, army cold weather boots (not extreme cold weather mickies) and some OR gaitors. The wool clothing proved to be very warm and comfortable. It shed the cold fluffy snow well, and also did a good job blocking the wind. And, of course, it breathed exceptionally.
Here is our campsite in the morning.
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I used an 8X10 tarp for a shelter. It snowed all night with a good 2 ft accumulation. The overnight temps were between 10 and 20F. For sleeping gear, my son used 3 sleeping bags two sleeping pads, and my army gortex bivy. He was perfect under the tarp. I didn't have another bivy, and just used my normal winter bag. Both of us were very warm, however, I got a lot of snow drift on my bag during the night. If I had gone for two nights, I would have had to do some serious drying. I think I pitched the tarp too high. I also think a bigger tarp would have been better.
The next morning, we had a hard time pulling the sled through 2 ft of powder. It took me a good 3 hours to travel 1/4 mile. The sled did not float at all. I probably loaded too much as well, but I had to pack for two. I definitely need a sled that floats on powder better.
I learned a lot on this campout.
Edit: Here is a video of my trip. By the way, as of now, it is my very first Youtube video. So, don't be too harsh on the editing.
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