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Another shot at winter camping

The first time I camped in winter was in Grand Teton National Park. Travelling by myself, as I often did in my 20s, I decided to see the stars up close. I skied a whole kilometre from where I parked the car. Packed the snow and put up my tent.
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The first time I camped in winter was in Grand Teton National Park. Travelling by myself, as I often did in my 20s, I decided to see the stars up close.

I skied a whole kilometre from where I parked the car. Packed the snow and put up my tent. Then proceeded to freeze all night long. The temperature dropped to -20. My feet never got warm.

It wasn’t totally bad. It was an adventure. Still, somehow I never got around to sleeping outside in winter again — until last week.

Allan has been keen on winter camping for a long time. For his 60th birthday, I gave him a guided winter trip with Lure of the North. He spent three days travelling with them in February 2012, and was hooked.

By the end of the year, he bought his own winter tent and a woodstove to heat it.

January 2013, he travelled with friends from Parry Sound to a lake north of the Soo for four days of camping. He loved it, of course.

Other friends were able to get some time away in February, and they travelled to lakes north of here in deep snow. Another great time.

Allan got out a few more times in the winter last year. I stayed home, enjoying the solitude.

As we canoed and camped through this past summer, Allan was always on the lookout for possible winter tenting spots. The perfect campsite needs to be sheltered from all winds, and preferably has water nearby.

Water is a big consideration in winter. You can get it from a hole drilled in the lake, or by melting snow. Best is to camp near a creek where the water stays open all winter long. These summer conversations, looking at the landscape with winter in mind, inspired me to join Allan in his winter passion.

We found a great location. In early February, we took a day trip there on the snowmachine. It was perfect! Tucked into the forest, at the edge of a stream, water flowed nearby from one small lake to another, and huge hills were all around with lots of places to explore by snowshoe.

On the day trip, we packed the snow where the tent would be set up. A week later, Allan hauled all the gear and set up camp. He stayed for three days.

That gave him time to get out snowshoeing up the big hills, to explore the valleys and bring in enough firewood to last another week.

When he got home, he showed me on the map all the places he’d been and things he’d seen. Maple and yellow birch forests, big old red and white pines, steep and narrow creek valleys where icefalls abound.

Not too many signs of other life, but a few moose tracks, martin and lynx. And the otter tracks where they play in and out of the open water of the creek.

How could I think of staying home all winter when just a few lakes to the north this paradise awaits? Nearly 40 years after my last winter camping experience, I gave it another try. This time with a woodstove in the tent.

My feet were warm the whole time. Now I’m hooked, too. We have joined the very small but adventurous group of people who hope that winter doesn’t end too soon.

Viki Mather has been commenting for Northern Life on the natural world and life in Greater Sudbury since the spring of 1984.

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