Overnight winter trip

[finallyME]

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.

[Justin Case]

Excellent ! Great Pics ! Love the shelter

[Alaskan Survivalist]

Excellent! I try out new ideas all the time and many that seem good fall short when they meet the cold reality of the trail. It's part of the process. I loved your AAR. Got to spread the rep around but I'll get back to you!

[wildWoman]

Good stuff! You might also want to try using a simple plastic toboggan; some people here rivet old skis underneath but we find it works without that too. It's lot lighter than wooden sleds and you can get a few for evey member of the family, including the dog. We use skijoring belts worn backwards for pulling sleds.

[finallyME]

Well, one thing I learned is that I need to bring a tri-pod if I want to shoot a video with me in it. My 8 yr old isn't good at holding the camera steady.

[finallyME]

Good stuff! You might also want to try using a simple plastic toboggan; some people here rivet old skis underneath but we find it works without that too. It's lot lighter than wooden sleds and you can get a few for evey member of the family, including the dog. We use skijoring belts worn backwards for pulling sleds.

I have some, but they were too small for what I was trying to do. Plus I wanted to try out the one I made. I think I will buy a bigger/longer plastic toboggan.

[Ted]

Thats one tough little man you got there!!

[Rick]

I think he did just great with the camera. Good job all around. Personally, I like a tarp pitch steeper. It seems to shed water and snow better to me. It's also easier to stop the drafts at the edges. You do have larger openings on the end however.

[Camp10]

It looks like it was a great overnight. That is one tough kid you've got there to hike out in the snow and spend the night!

[crashdive123]

Looks like a good trip.

[mosquitomountainman]

Cool trip. Thanks for sharing. We use plastic kid size toboggans or wood toboggan (with the ram's curl front end). The wood one is best in my opinion. Our snow tends to be deep and soft. Runner type sleds just don't work well.

It's cool that your son went with you. We had one that was more adventuresome who went with my wife and I most often.

[hoosierarcher]

Thanks for sharing. I would get a toboggan for the powder at least 6 feet long considering the amount of gear to be hauled. Toboggans do better in powdery snow, more surface area to spread the weight over and "float" on top of the snow too.

[rwc1969]

That's some serious winter camping. I made an ice shanty and used skis to pull it, ended up elevating the skis using 4 8" or so hollow tubes and long anchor bolts w' washers to secure the skis and tubing to the wood. Otherwise it just made a good snowplow. We rarely get snow over a foot though.

[BearBirch]

Looks like a nice trip, cant wait until my son is old enough to come with me on
a winter-overnighter
Thanks for the sharing.

[finallyME]

My daughter got a new camera for Christmas and I didn't realize she took pictures of loading us up to go home. These are all taken inside the van by a 9 yr old.

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[crashdive123]

She's a natural photographer.

[finallyME]

She's a natural photographer.

Yeah, she filed the 1GB card in one day.

[DOGMAN]

Great boots in the field post! Thanks for sharing. Don't throw that sled out though...it may not have done a great job in powder, but it looks like it would be great on super hard packed trails or a frozen lake. If you ever are using it again in similar conditions try flipping it upside down, and weighting the back heavier then it will basically function as a toboggan... Your dog is beautiful by the way!

[finallyME]

Thanks Dogman. By the way, I ended up getting her a carting harness from Black Ice. It is the same as a freight harness (has the spreader bar in the back), with the addition of a chest strap with loops for the cart bars. I want her to pull a cart in the summer and this way I only need one harness. I ordered it the Saturday before Christmas and received it the 23rd. That was fast.

[Rick]

First, it looks like the smart one was inside the van getting warm. Second, she did a great job with the camera. Thanks for giving us a peek.