Canadian Nissan Truck Club

That's definitely a great way to try things out and to make sure that Junior has blast too.

When things are going well, it's great fun to experience a trip like this both from your own perspective and through a kid's eyes.

In my avatar I'm jumping into a pile of snow that later became a quinzhee. 2007/08 was a good year for snow. I might see if I can make a backyard quinzhee again this year. It was great to get out the roof rake and pull a whole bunch of snow down into the pile "for free". Maybe one of the kids would join me in it over night.

definitely! a good compromise when convincing the wife who thinks i'm crazy and combining that with needing "me" time when it's hard to go out with the boys and leaving the wife behind with 3 kids. so, win win for us. just gotta convince the wife again to see if i can pull a similar trip off this winter!

good point on WHEN things are going well. which is why we can't mess around with prep and planning, things can definitely go wrong...

man, been looking at the small yard to try out a quinzhee! but i don't think we have enough snow, unless i haul some over from the front!

cheers.

Nice explanation both of you.

@ Extrapol8
Thanks for the write-up and the details. A lot of what you talked about brought either a smile or a memory back for me. McCrae lake is a place I have done a lot of winter camping. At one point I use to live in Midland and McCrae was a quick drive. I am not surprised by the sled comments, but it does look like you guys had a lot of gear going in.

Before you posted the location I guessed that you were somewhere near Georgian Bay to have enough snow to make such a shelter.

Its awesome that you got the full experience with the snow shelter, but I was expecting feedback on how warm it was. I am sure you are looking to get out again and try out all the new ideas that you inevitably come up with once you have some time to reflect on the experience.

I have always found that going to bed overdressed never really made much of a difference to how cold I may have slept. I always try to stay in a dry base layer only, and if I have to put on anything else it is a loose sweater or a down vest. These allow the heat to distribute within the bag. I also find that doing up your bag properly and keeping it tight makes a huge difference. I would recommend staying away from covering your face with a balaclava - tried that already and the thing just gets wet from your breath and then starts freezing to your face. This is how things looked for me in a -7 bag at -24 without a shelter couple of years ago...



The bag is done up tight and the breathing hole was completely covered with frost. It is a good thing that I didn't have to go for a leak that night as the moisture completely froze my zipper. In the morning I had to get a guy to melt the frozen zipper by breathing on it before I could get out.

Whenever I had to take a leak in the middle of the night I just get out of my bag get out of the tent and go for a leak. I find it more of a mental block then anything else (though I am not crawling out of a snow cave). The laziest I have ever been is without a tent just unzipping your bag, rolling over off you sleeping pad and take a leak without getting out.

@CruiserRomey => Good on you to get out there. How was junior when you got home? Is he telling all his buddies and bugging you to go out again? I know what you are saying about the wife (and others) thinking your are crazy just because you moved the outside marker of your 'comfort' gauge. These experiences are empowering!

JAS - cool pic! Thanks for the advice.

CruiserRomey - I forgot to respond earlier - we did have the sleeping level raised from the door.

Lots still to learn, but it'll be fun.

well put Jas. i'd rephrase to say "…just because it's other people's perception based on their own outside marker of comfort.." lol. empowering indeed. and at the end of day, i'm just trying to teach the boy some things that'll hopefully help him with life down the road, like having grit and having the right state of mind, and the rest, is well, just outdoor fun connecting with nature and taking/sharing pics stories and learning more about gear/survival. he had fun, but he definitely wants his mommy to come next time..and his little sisters..lol. which is why i may have to dangle the "heated yurt next door" option, lol.

so what's next for everyone? any more trips? looks like winter's sticking around longer..

More outdoor fun for me this weekend. Heading to the cottage tonight, then taking the kids skiing at Sir Sam's. The kids have already requested a 'nature walk'. We do these on regular basis where we look for tracks, identify trees, and do whatever bushwhacking the snow allows for.

I have not been to the cottage since the winter camping weekend, so I am expecting some serious challenges getting in due to the snow we have had over the last few weeks. I will definitely have a shovel in my hand, almost guaranteed to be breaking out the tire chains and the 'locker switch' and 'diff lock dash light' are going to be on tonight.

Here is what it looked like at Christmas. I am expecting it will look worse tonight...

ooh. nice! Gluck n take pics!