It is always fun to take a novice winter camping. Expectations are all over the place. We had a lot of fun sitting around a fire at night discussing why we go winter camping and what our expectations where and how much can we get the new (or youngest) person to put up with. Not that anyone would admit to wandering around unable to locate the trail head, but most of these strike close to home and come from past experiences. Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability. There is no scoring system, penalty or reward, but perhaps we will all share a chuckle.
I want to go winter camping because:
- I enjoy winter camping
- I like doing manly things with manly men
- It gives me and my friends something to talk about
- I have no idea what I am getting myself into
- There is a hotel there right?
In the morning I like to:
- Relax in my sleeping bag with a warm cup of coffee
- Rave one of my fellow campers cook me breakfast so that I can have breakfast in bed
- Get up and start the stove so that everyone has hot water for their breakfast
- Get the heck out of there and drive to the diner
Which of the following best describes your level of camping experience?
- I have never peed outdoors
- I have never slept on the ground
- I have never camped in a place without and outhouse
- I have gone camping several times just not in the winter
- I have gone winter camping and wish to do more
- Just call me Rip Van Winkle
Please indicate any extra gear that you may have available to share:
What neat stuff do you have that will be the envy of your fellow campers?
What kind of vehicle do you have and how many packs and people can you squeeze into it?
Please rank your skills in terms of highest to lowest: cooking, fire building, dish washing, wood gathering, wood cutting
If you were in charge of dinner what would you bring and prepare?
Please indicate any special talents (story or joke telling, music, skits, poetry, physical comedy etc) that you would be willing to share in a group setting.
What is your personal space limitation when sleeping with strangers?
- I have none
- It is measured in inches
- It is measured in feet
- It is proportional to temperature
- …before I answer when was the last time they changed their poly pro long johns?
Do you snore?
- Never
- Sometimes a light snore
- Constant
- Prodigiously with volume
Are you bothered by snoring? __Yes or __No
When setting off on your last backpacking trip which of the following best describes you?
- I went through my equipment list and consulted my trail guide and maps
- I asked my companions if we had everything and knew where we were going
- I figured we were only going for one night and someone must know where we are going
- I shouldered my pack and wandered around the parking lot looking for a trailhead sign
While getting ready to head off on a trip it is realized that some heavy cook pots still need to be put in someone’s pack. Your response would be:
- I’m a strong young buck, I’d be happy to carry it
- Give it to the boy. He won’t carry his own weight but maybe he will carry someone else’s
- Why do we need to carry all these pots and pans just to cook hot dogs?
- Cast iron pots? I only carry ultra-light titanium pots. Sure they cost a little more but it is all in the name of comfort
In the middle of the night you wake up to the sound of rustling outside the tent/lean-to. What is your response?
- Pull the sleeping bag further over your head and lay as still as possible
- Jump up, flashlight in hand and search the darkness for the source of the sound
- Go about your normal sleeping believing it is one of your fellow campers stumbling around outside looking for a suitable spot to pee
- Throw a wild elbow or foot toward your neighbor because you believe it is just another of their persistent and nasty body habits
- It shouldn’t be a problem since you normally leave a candle lantern burning and sleep with a gun
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January 9th, 2017 | Category: Cold Weather Camping, Nature & Outdoors, Winter Camping