Winter Camping

The winter in the Adirondacks is a mixed bag. It can either be 3 brutal months or 3 months of fun packed snow adventuring. The best way to make your winter fun in the Adirondacks is to partake in winter activities such as winter camping. This past weekend, I went on a trip to the Adirondacks to learn how to winter camp and snowshoe so that I could be better prepared to lead trips for the Hamilton Outing Club into a wilderness of inclement weather. The trip started with us gearing up with an excessive amount of warm layers that could keep us toasty in sub zero temperatures. Down booties were a necessity because in snow, cold toes are a very real problem. We also had to pack enough food to supply each person with 5,000 calories per day for our bodies to produce enough heat to keep us warm.

We strapped on mountaineering boots and snow shoes and started trekking into the partly melted snow. Given the abnormally warm temperatures in the Adirondacks the snow was not at it’s peak. Once we got to camp, we set up tents quickly in an effort to be done before we lost light because it becomes incredibly hard to navigate a camp site without the ability to see. To my surprise, when you set up tents in the winter, you don’t use the tent body. We only had a rain fly for protection from the elements. That and a 2-inch snow wall around the bottom to defend against the dark arts, also known as wind and snow. When sleeping, you have to use two sleeping pads and wear all your layers. In addition, to prevent freezing, you put everything that you want to keep warm either in your jacket or in your sleeping bag.

With this plethora of knowledge about leading trips in the winter I wonder if the winter weather makes the wilderness unapproachable for people who don’t understand the complexities of camping in the cold. Without the knowledge I obtained on this trip, I’m not sure I would have felt comfortable walking or camping in the winter wonderland in the park.