First Solo Winter Trip
I'm gearing up for my first winter solo hike. 13 mile loop with the campsite at mile 9. Easy terrain, but if there is snow this will be my first trip with snowshoes. I'm practicing new winter techniques, aquamira instead of ceramic filter, esbit tablets instead of gas, and nalgene bottles in my pack instead of a water bladder.
What other problems have I not anticipated? I've got a zero degree bag on order and will test it out in my yard before heading out. If it isn't warm enough I carry one or two polar fleece blankets I have, and if it gets too cold I will cancel the whole thing.
I did a day hike yesterday, it started out 25, then warmed up to 32 and started snowing on me. My layers were perfect, just had to ditch my shell about half way through, so I'm thinking my only possible problems will be at camp. Preparing dinner, setting stuff up in the snow, sleeping with nalgene bottles in my bag.
So just looking for any and all tips about what might happen out in the woods when it's freezing out.
Posted Nov 17, 2014, 2:09 PM UTC
As someone else mentioned, don't plan on using body heat to melt snow for water. While it might work, it leaves you no backup in case you start to get cold, and it exposes you to dehydration risk. Remember, when you get dehydrated, you get cold, and this creates the risk of a spiral. Carry fuel this trip. If it proves unnecessary, well, the worst that happens is you've carried some extra gas around. Melting snow for water requires a surprising amount of fuel -- plan on carrying at least twice the fuel you'd carry for a summer trip.
Remember that covering ground can be much slower and more fatiguing on snowshoes and plan accordingly. One of my longest days (and I've done 25+ mile days in the mountains) was 13 miles on snowshoes in deep, mushy, late season glop around Crater Lake. Brutal.
A hot cup of bouillon or instant soup, set up to heat while you're setting up your tent, is an absolute godsend at the end of a long day. That's my single best winter camping trick. Dry miso is essentially weightless, and your body craves salt at the end of a long hike.
A candle lantern in the tent is surprisingly warm as well as incredibly cheery. It sounds super goofy but when you're alone in the woods, cooking dinner 20' away from your tent in the dark, that candle will be the single prettiest thing you've ever seen. It'll also warm things up a little while you're cooking, especially if your tent is a reasonably cozy number (i.e., has little screen area). Use a carabiner or chain to keep the lantern at least 10" below the peak of your tent. Even with a heat spreader the heat can build up, and nylon doesn't like getting hot.
For low-degree sleeping bags you will likely lose more heat out the bottom of the bag than the top. Adding blankets on top will compress the loft, potentially just making you colder. Adding blankets underneath you will further insulate you from the ground, keeping you warmer. Down-filled Therm-a-rests are great stuff, but that said, I just use a prolite 4. If it's truly cold and you have good insulation, leave snow mostly unpacked beneath the tent with pine needles on top. The snow will insulate you somewhat from the cold earth below, as long as your body heat doesn't melt it.
And have fun! You're only out a little ways, so the risk is minimal. It's easy to treat solo trips as fraught, risky endeavors, but don't forget to have a good time, too.
Lots of good stuff there, but my tent is basically a bivvy. I find my breath gets it about 10 degrees warmer than outside air, but it's only like 16" tall, so there is no way I'm putting any candles inside of it. However, maybe I will keep candles in mind when I choose my next tent. A buddy and I were talking and I mentioned hot tea would be awesome in the woods and he said "I'm thinking Hot Chocolate." I think he nailed it right on the head with that one.
So in the winter time are esbit fuel tabs a no go? I figured gas would be tougher to use so I was going to switch over to tablets. I honestly don't really want to melt any snow at all for water. That seems like an emergency type of thing, there is one raging creek and tons of potential streams depending on rain that I can use. That is where I plan on getting water. I'm thinking about throwing snow into my drinking bottle once or twice just to see what happens, but I don't expect it to add up to more than a few mouthfuls.
Throw some peanut butter or straight up butter in your coco. One key thing to winter camping is amping up your calories and this is a tasty/easy way do that.
Wow, you my friend are a genius. Brilliant.
I regularly winter solo and everyone's advice is really good, the only thing I can think of is what type of sleeping pad do you have? The bottom of your bag isn't insulated and this will make a huge difference in your comfort that night.
Also if you're worried about getting cold with your 0, I use this liner if I'm ever nervous about temps. It also keeps your bag cleaner which is good.
Finally, the last thing I can think of is keep a pair or two of thick, warm socks in your sleeping bag and never take them out. These socks are only for sleeping. This way you will always have dry socks for sleeping which is pretty important.
If there's nearby liquid water, then great! No risk there. The worst down side to the Esbit then is inconvenience. Iso gas is super convenient, but for winter use sleep with the canister in the foot of your bag. This will keep it warm enough to light well in the morning -- otherwise they get slow. The best option I've seen for winter camping is a liquid gas stove like a Primus.
On the candle, yeah, definitely not going to use one in a bivy. They're still cheery, though, and I find 'em nicer than a headlamp for eating dinner by. Heavy, though.
Hot cocoa is great. Don't forget the rum!
Oooh, is alcohol and cold a good idea? I think on a solo hike I better just leave the rum at home.
That's probably the best choice. A nip in your cocoa isn't really a problem, but I'd avoid getting ripped on whiskey and stumbling around. ;)
I would say it depends how cold.
When you get cold, your body constricts the capillaries in your arms and legs and keeps more blood in your core. It's a survival mechanism. This means your internal organs stay at the right temperature and you don't get hypothermic, but at the cost of cold, and possibly even frostbitten hands and feet.
However, Alcohol is a vasodialator. You feel warm because your blood vessels don't constrict as much and more blood is staying near your skin and in your extremities. (and because your senses are a bit dulled).
So if you drink alcohol, you will feel warmer, but your body will lose heat a little bit faster than it might otherwise, because more heat is leaving your hands and feet etc.
If you're well equipped and bundled up, the net effect is pretty marginal. A little nip won't hurt you, and it's extra calories (if you need that, I hike to lose weight and my body has all the stored fat it needs). You'll be a little bit more comfortable in your sleeping bag than you might have been otherwise, at least until 3am when it gets stupid cold.
On the other hand, if you're in a bad spot (if you get wet, or are undergeared for the weather) and on the border of getting hypothermic already, the alcohol can push you over the edge. Being solo obviously, you also don't want to drink where you're impaired, but that's more a case for only drinking if you're practiced and know how it will impact you.
Maybe I will bring my old stove and fuel as the backup for the esbit. I have cooked meals in winter with gas, so I know it will work, the esbit worked fine yesterday in 30 degrees, but might not hurt to have both around. It's 1 overnight away from my car so I can ditch some food to keep my weight reasonable.
Keep a change of clothes and extra food/water in your car for when you get back.
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