View Full Version : Nine Days At Zero Or Below
Tipi Walter
01-19-2009, 21:33
DAY ONE January 11 '09
I gather up all the people I know in my area who love to backpack(my dog)and set out on a planned 10 day backpacking trek to the Citico/Slickrock wilderness. After getting to the trailhead at Beech gap I load an enormous pack(including 3 books, 3 apples and a pear and 6 raw eggs), and pull a pretty hike in icey conditions along the BMT to Snow Camp, about 4 miles in. The first night is cold.
DAY TWO January 12
I get up in ice covered trees and wait for some Whiteblazers on a dayhike from Beech to me to Fodderstack to Pine Ridge and out. At around 11am Pokey2006, Mowgli and Wisenber show up and we have a good time with fotogs and talk. They book it and I gear up and follow but go past their turn and in about 6 miles end up at Crowder Camp where I set up for another cold night.
DAY THREE January 13
Getting off the high ground, I drop down the Big Stack trail to Slickrock Creek and find a good tentsite right next to the creek where it is slightly warmer for my third night.
DAY FOUR January 14
The day starts in cold temps again and a light snow and so I pack up and keep in bare feet to cross a butt cold Slickrock in the Crocs and whimper like an ultralighter with too much weight. On the other side I reboot and start in cold feet along the upper Slickrock trail(the Nutbuster), and get to a favorite snow covered campsite between 2 creeks, the Slickrock and the Hangover. Here I set up a very cold camp in the snow.
DAY FIVE January 15
Day 5 dawns frigid at around 12 degrees and I decide to climb the dreaded Nutbuster for the 21st time, a personal record. The higher I go the colder it is and the rhodo leaves are black and tight. By the time I reach Naked Ground to set up camp in the snow it is around 5 degrees.
DAY SIX January 16
THE COLDEST NIGHT AT 5000 FEET. I wake up to minus 10 degrees below zero after a crazy night of popping trees and arctic cold. I sure didn't see the hammock crowd out in force or any tarp lovers--it was a night for stout tents, thick thermys and beefy down bags. No ULers breezing by either.
DAY SEVEN January 17
I decided to stay put and save my fingers and wake up to another morning of below zero temps, around minus 5 I figured. This was getting interesting. I still haven't seen a single backpacker and I needed to get moving so I packed up a frozen tent and climbed 500 feet on a 1.5 mile trail to the Bob bald where I set up in the snow in the protection of some trees as a fierce wind blew up another snow storm. Later a group of 9 boy scouts passed thru on their way to Naked and we talked.
DAY EIGHT January 18
I get up in minus 1 degree temps with a couple inches of new snow and a completely ice encrusted tent which I scrape off with a gloved hand. Getting water has been easy for the past several days--I just fill my bottle with water at the source and boil it back in camp. A group of 6 hardy backpackers from Georgia pass by camp on their way to Crowders/Slickrock and up the Nutbuster to Naked and down to Kilmer and out.
DAY NINE January 19
I decide to stay put on the Bob for a second night and wake up in the usual butt cold conditions while I plan my exit off the mountain to survey my car and a possible departure on a questionable road. I don't even know if my car will start or if the road is open.
FOTOGS
Starting out in frosty trees
First night camp at around 4500 feet
Pokey2006, Wisenber, Uncle Fungus and Mowgli
Wisenber and Mowgli
Staika tent on the Slickrock
Getting cold at 5000 feet
That was the western states about a month ago. Glad to see you guys getting some of it. It was 63 here in denver today. Took my kids on a small hike. SWEET!!!!
Tipi Walter
01-19-2009, 21:49
Here's the rest of the shots:
Boy Scouts arrive on the Bob
Caught in the deep freeze-glad for the tent
Scouts can only do one night and leave
Good fotog of the scouts
Bright sky and bright ice
Where I was last night(jan 18)
Taking off down the trail(jan 19)
LIhikers
01-19-2009, 22:27
Earlier this month my wife and I did a dog sled camping trip where the temperatures at day break were in the -25 below F region. Winter camping brings a whole new set of joys with it :)
Hikerhead
01-19-2009, 23:04
Nice write up... I liked the pics.
Mongoose2
01-19-2009, 23:17
Amazing trip report, thanks.....
buckwheat
01-20-2009, 03:23
Tipi, I'll say this for 'ya ... you're a mountain man. Remind me of Del Gue:
"By God, I are a mountain man, and I'll live 'til an arrow or a bullet finds me. And then I'll leave my bones on this great map of the magnificent..."
Sounds like a lovely time. Thanks for the write up!
the_black_spot
01-20-2009, 17:31
nice trip tipi. i liked your comments about 'no hammockers or tarp lovers seen'
however, i did do a little hammocking at mt leconte a couple weeks ago in the snow, temps i am estimating in the teens.
it twas nice and cozy.
sheepdog
01-20-2009, 17:47
Good report TW, thanks.
Nice trip report.
I seriously respect your abilities to handle the cold, but, why the need to put down UL & hammocks? Enjoy your own style of hiking. There's enough woods for all of us.
Here's a guy hanging in a hammock in serious -26*F cold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnoo4BPe2eo
Somewhat of a legend at Hammock Forums
FWIW, I slept in my Hennessey at +14* last week
SGT Rock
01-20-2009, 23:02
I took mine down to 6F that I know of. No telling what the wind chill was that night. I may have taken it colder.
Tipi Walter
01-21-2009, 18:46
Tipi, I'll say this for 'ya ... you're a mountain man. Remind me of Del Gue:
"By God, I are a mountain man, and I'll live 'til an arrow or a bullet finds me. And then I'll leave my bones on this great map of the magnificent..."
You're quoting my favorite movie, with "I've been to a town, Del" and "Grown par-tic-u-lar?" being my other favorite lines in the movie. Anyone who can watch that movie and not want to winter camp must have a serious case of couch potato-itis.
Nice trip report.
I seriously respect your abilities to handle the cold, but, why the need to put down UL & hammocks? Enjoy your own style of hiking. There's enough woods for all of us.
Here's a guy hanging in a hammock in serious -26*F cold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnoo4BPe2eo
Somewhat of a legend at Hammock Forums
FWIW, I slept in my Hennessey at +14* last week
Any shelter a person uses to get out and stay out is all right with me--hammock, tarp, tent, even a bivy sac. I like picking on the hammock/tarp crowd(and indirectly the UL crowd)because I'm a wordy, overcritical, opinionated individual who likes to nitpick things to death. And I like to watch UL wannabes sort thru the hammock/tarp craze and catch them on their first zero degree winter trip as they scramble to find the nearest tent. And as you pointed out, some can do it, some won't/can't. My self-appointed oneupmanship against hammocks/tarps/sacs comes from my own personal unwillingness to endure discomfort in camp, pure and simple.
It's fun to experiment with radically lighter versions of shelter systems when conditions are fair to middling, and I've done my share of bedroll/bivy sac/tarp camping with glorious attempts in fair to middling conditions. Or even in terrible conditions with not so glorious results. But when confronted with a serious outdoor winter excursion of several weeks to months, I always fall back on what works in the worst conditions. And it always comes back to a four season tent of some kind.
...and some smart asses would ask is it really winter camping if it is in southern Appalachians? :p
(same smart ass who thinks wine is a pre-req for many social trips... ;) )
Thanks Tipi. How many days before the cold sets in? Curious.
Gray Blazer
01-21-2009, 23:15
Sounds like you had a good time.
I have a question about your dog. My choc-lab loves hiking in the mountains (or anywhere for that matter). She's pretty short-haired so if I take her out in the cold and snow she's gonna need a sweater. My question is does your dog wear boots in the snow or when it gets down below freezing (you're prolly spraying your beverage on the 'puter right now)? I'm guessing your dog is prolly more adjusted to the cold, but, I was wondering., would the freezing temps crack or hurt my dogs pads?
Ramble~On
01-21-2009, 23:27
Oh...temperature ! I thought you'd taken nine zero days in a row.:)
Tipi Walter
01-21-2009, 23:48
Sounds like you had a good time.
I have a question about your dog. My choc-lab loves hiking in the mountains (or anywhere for that matter). She's pretty short-haired so if I take her out in the cold and snow she's gonna need a sweater. My question is does your dog wear boots in the snow or when it gets down below freezing (you're prolly spraying your beverage on the 'puter right now)? I'm guessing your dog is prolly more adjusted to the cold, but, I was wondering., would the freezing temps crack or hurt my dogs pads?
There are dog experts our there more qualified than I'll ever be about this subject, I can only observe and listen to what my dog has "to say" on long winter nights in the woods. He was raised outdoors and in the snow and the only indoor life he's had has been in a tipi curled up by a woodstove. On long backpacking trips he likes his freedom and can't bear to be inside the tent no matter what. Lightning and thunder storms make him crazy and he'll whimper and cower like the rest of us but afterwards he's back to roaming about. I've tried to get him inside the tent on occasion but he's an independent roving cuss and willfull to the max.
Just about 3 weeks ago we were down at my 12x12 basecamp tent behind my GF's cherokee longhouse(trailer)and it was cold so I pulled him inside the big tent to let him sleep on his usual rug. After I zipped the big door shut he immediately ripped thru the tent canopy and made a brand new unauthorized door. Tore me a new one. Of course, the tent's four years old and has some UV damage but what the heck.
Old Shunka has a thick woolly mammoth coat and must have some Inuit and malamute blood cuz when it snows he becomes fiesty and happy, often he just sits on a ridge facing into the blizzard and just sits there for several minutes, I guess grooving on the white stuff and the wind. We're alot alike.
As far as his feet goes, well, I check them periodically and they're healthier than mine. He's almost 14 years old and we both wear packs and walk up hills at about the same speed. On this last trip he went alittle crazy cuz when the deep cold hit with minus 10 degrees the trees started popping and sounded like rifle shots and it drove him crazy. He paced in the snow all around the tent all thru the night yet would not come inside. The trees spooked him.
Tipi Walter
01-21-2009, 23:53
Oh...temperature ! I thought you'd taken nine zero days in a row.:)
That would be a good title for a long backpacking trip: Set up camp for 2 weeks and not move the whole time. Hmm . . . sounds interesting.
I thought of your North Face tent set up on the Bob in that grassy spot when it got very cold and very windy, too windy for me so I set up a hundred yards over in the trees. I bet you like that tent of yours. Give me a full report, any criticisms?
Pokey2006
01-22-2009, 00:42
Tipi, great to meet you at the beginning of your trip! Glad you enjoyed the rest of your time out there.
Nicksaari
01-22-2009, 01:18
tipi walter: i stand by my previous statements as said in other threads; you're reports are one of a kind. you make me wish i had the bollocks in me to winter backpack, but most importantly, you make me long for winter to be over.
hope to make it out to your Citico wilderness someday soon. ill talk with you later about that when its a 'lil warmer!
Tipi,
Great to read your latest winter trip report. Great location and classic winter conditions for the Southern Appalachians. Thanks!
Ramble~On
01-22-2009, 03:19
That would be a good title for a long backpacking trip: Set up camp for 2 weeks and not move the whole time. Hmm . . . sounds interesting.
I thought of your North Face tent set up on the Bob in that grassy spot when it got very cold and very windy, too windy for me so I set up a hundred yards over in the trees. I bet you like that tent of yours. Give me a full report, any criticisms?
It is what it is. It is heavy! "You get what you pay for" also holds true with "you get what you carry" There are many, many good tents out there for harsh winter conditions. I went with the Mountain 25 because I wanted something that was proven to be rock solid in heavy snow loads and high winds (yeah, winter). I have no complaints...and the weight is worth it. I cut out a few things that'd I'd otherwise have a long and my pack weight hasn't suffered nor have I. I like winter backpacking and if my job allowed it I'd be doing a lot more multi day hikes..
(:cool: wait a minute ! my job can kiss it - I'm thru hiking in 2009 ! )
Back to subject...I love the tent - I have already gotten my monies worth out of it - I'm not an ice cube.
condensation isn't an issue, wind isn't an issue, snow load isn't an issue.
It takes a bit to set up but I'm not on a schedule in the woods.
I do wish that the North Face would take this proven design and shrink it down to a one man version at say...5-6 pounds. I simply do not need the square footage to park me and my car for the night.
For a one man winter palace with no worries of weather conditions - I'm happy. The Mountain Hardwear Trango II is another beast of a winter wonder and I have yet to pick up a Hilleberg Allak.
The Mountian 25 blocks the wind out entirely and gives the illusion that you can sit on it - no joke it is that strudy - of course you can not actually sit on it.
I took it up to the Bob for two nice winter blows. I set up in your shadow one night..I missed you by a few hours - The freight train winds were welcome as I wanted to see what the tent could handle...let's just say that it held up better than the Rainbow did under similar conditions down on the Whigg pond and up on Bob. :rolleyes: The other trip into Slickrock I couldn't make it into anywhere but Kilmer. There was too much snow on the Cherohala. I came up Horse Cove Ridge (Stratton Bald Trail) and the snow was so heavy and got so deep I almost lost the trail several times.
The Nutbuster and Stratton Bald are close cousins.
My next tent is either a Sierra Designs Lightning XT 2 or a Mont-Bell Crescent 2..both have small dooritis but for my upcoming hike I don't want to start with my Rainbow...and the small doors will force me to lose weight?.
The Mountain 25 has been to Max Patch a couple times now, into the GSMNP and recently on an overnighter near Shining Rock, not to mention a couple Slickrock snow/wind excursions. It's more tent than a lot of folks would want to carry - But I'm not most folks.:D
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=29503&catid=member&imageuser=2785
Homer&Marje
01-22-2009, 08:40
Good trip report. You must have meant 9 days below zero C. But I am jealous...I only have time to go out and do an overnight or two coming up. Wish I could go out for a week or more.
I understand 9 Fahrenheit days converts to 5 Celsius days, or something like that. ;)
The Coldest Night At 5000 Feet. I wake up to minus 10 degrees below zero
earlier this month my Wife and I did a Dog Sled Camping Trip Where The Temperatures At Day Break Were In The -25 Below F Region
So do the double negatives mean the temperatures were actually above zero? :-? :D
Tipi Walter
01-29-2009, 12:50
So do the double negatives mean the temperatures were actually above zero? :-? :D
The english language doesn't have enough punctuation marks to make subzero temps look low enough! -10? Minus 10 below? Subzero? BTW, I surmised the temperature by knowing what the Knoxville weather pinheads said it was(5 degrees)and deducting around 15 for being up at 5,000 feet.
You know it must be really really cold when Tipi says its minus 10 below subzero. :)
Tipi Walter
01-29-2009, 14:32
You know it must be really really cold when Tipi says its minus 10 below subzero. :)
30 years ago the same temp felt about like 15 degrees, now 15 feels like zero and zero? Zero feels like the sub-digit midgets.
I don't get out for as many days as you, but I am amazed how sore it makes me the next day, just from the cold. Used to feel a real rush the next day after doing cold weather activities. Still do, but with a little something extra. I think its partly a matter of just getting myself back into shape to do it, which doesn't take as long as people think for most of the gains, but perhaps partly a matter of getting older also. I'm going to keep at it though. Life's getting more and more, interesting. ;)