First winter camp

[russb]

Tent stakes... Dont use em. Tie off to other things. A stick with a bit of water will soon freeze to the ground.

Nothing to add to the poop replies. Club member here tipi.

[hikernutcasey]

Bring plenty of dry socks.

Is this advice because of the possibility of cold wet conditions or for use in cleaning up the mess you just made squatting in your tent to as Tipi puts it "join the squat and release club"? I guess they could be used for both

[saltysack]

Haaaaaaa think I'd take my chances with frost bite!


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[Tipi Walter]

Is this advice because of the possibility of cold wet conditions or for use in cleaning up the mess you just made squatting in your tent to as Tipi puts it "join the squat and release club"? I guess they could be used for both

Placing a nice hiking sock over a puckered O-ring is a waste of a good sock, especially when said O-ring dilates from 1 inch to 7 inches during the actual Release. And a sock does no good with a sputtering splashing effluvium, so common after a bout of mild on-trail food poisoning.

[hikernutcasey]

Placing a nice hiking sock over a puckered O-ring is a waste of a good sock, especially when said O-ring dilates from 1 inch to 7 inches during the actual Release. And a sock does no good with a sputtering splashing effluvium, so common after a bout of mild on-trail food poisoning.

Wow! You must have some giant turds. Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd type on an internet forum!

[Tipi Walter]

Wow! You must have some giant turds. Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd type on an internet forum!

As a rule, the male blowhole shrinks up with age as does the entire tubing and you'll be lucky to get deer pellets or worse, "stringers". The 7 inch figure must be a typo.

[saltysack]

Rule # 1.......NO MEXICAN FOOD!!!!! Also wet wipes hurt when frozen!


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[freightliner]

Boy all this learning about backpacking has made me pooped. I'm going to need a nap but the only problem is i'll dream about missing the target and I can't find my socks.

[daddytwosticks]

What, you can't hold your poop for an overnighter? Ever hear of brown blazing?

[Connie]

I don't think the weather forecast would be for the mountain, or, for the mountaintop.

It would be a weather forecast for the towns.

I would think conditions would be much more severe on the mountain.

Our weather forecasts, in Montana, include mountain passes, only if there is a severe weather warning.

On the west coast, the weather forecast might have "snow to 5,000 feet"

[juma]

Grandfather Mt is a tough winter destination as some of the trails thru there are very rugged. The high elevation of the mountain brings in some serious wind and cold and snow. Not too long ago it set a winter wind record at around 200mph. Microspikes are mandatory and I'd probably bring a small snow shovel for easier tent setup. A Voile XLM shovel is now part of my standard winter load as I'm tired of moving a foot of snow off the ground to put up my tunnel tent.

I use Easton nail-like stakes and they will pound into frozen ground if you use a rock and go slow.

Digging a cathole in frozen ground is impossible although with dead leaves on the ground atop a forest duff there's usually a way to scrape out a hole. I use the tip of my hiking pole for digging a cathole. In serious cold when everything's frozen solid you can take a dump and place a big rock over it. OR take a dump by the tent and let it freeze solid and either carry it out (no way) or fling it hard like a frisbee deep into a down hill clump of rhododendron. Way downhill. OR when you get to camp in the afternoon, dig a cathole right off before the night time freeze while the ground is somewhat thawed and use this hole when you need it later when the ground is frozen.

No canister stove for me, finicky at low temps. White gas all the way.

TIP: If the tent stakes freeze solid in the ground, hammer them in an inch and they will pull right out.

yes master.

[juma]

I don't think the weather forecast would be for the mountain, or, for the mountaintop.

It would be a weather forecast for the towns.

I would think conditions would be much more severe on the mountain.



Our weather forecasts, in Montana, include mountain passes, only if there is a severe weather warning.

On the west coast, the weather forecast might have "snow to 5,000 feet"

on nws.noaa.gov you can get point forecasts by using the map on the right side, clicking on a location or terrain feature. You will get at least a forecast adjusted for elevation.

[ColdSeeker6000]

Hi Im honored to have my first post on WB be part of this excellent (if not fecal-oriented) thread! Grandfather Mountain is one of my favorite places to hike (I hike winter only). It probably holds a hand full of winter weather extreme records including a (-58F) windchill (yes fifty eight below zero) recorded by the weather station on the Mile High Bridge in January of this year! See article: http://www.grandfather.com/temperatu...ther-mountain/

But in hopes to be of some use here I'd recommend adjustable hiking poles and a good method of stashing and retrieving them quickly for the frequent rock scrambles and ladder climbs on the mountain. Its definitely a matter of preference but I find them particularly useful on icy descents. I use LEKI Makalu hiking poles, and Kahtoola KTS steel crampons- which admittedly are overkill at times.

Hope this helps! Have a great and safe time!

[saltysack]

Placing a nice hiking sock over a puckered O-ring is a waste of a good sock, especially when said O-ring dilates from 1 inch to 7 inches during the actual Release. And a sock does no good with a sputtering splashing effluvium, so common after a bout of mild on-trail food poisoning.

Tipi
Did you train your dog to squat in that hilleberg also?


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[Tipi Walter]

Tipi
Did you train your dog to squat in that hilleberg also?


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My old dog was far more advanced than any human and found secret spots unknown to anyone to deposit Assets into his Fecal Account. He went far into the woods to do his business, in other words.

BTW, here are some neato webcams of Grandfather Mt and other places. It's snowing up there now.

http://www.resortcams.com/webcams/grandfather/
This one is of Grandfather Mt.

http://www.beechalpen.com/live_cam/topofthebeech.html
This is Beech Mt.

http://www.resortcams.com/webcams/banner-elk/
This is Banner Elk.

http://www.resortcams.com/webcams/pinnacle-inn/
Another one of Beech Mt.

http://www.resortcams.com/webcams/king-street-boone/
A very neat one of King St in downtown Boone NC (my home for 30 years).

http://www.resortcams.com/webcams/hawksnest/
Seven Devils NC.

http://www.resortcams.com/webcams/sugar-ski/
Sugar Mt NC.

http://www.beardencabins.com/article...lse&article=43
A last one of Grandfather Mt.

[saltysack]

Thx for the links...looks like their getting the white stuff!! Dam I'm ready to get out there!


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[sketcher709]

The 7 inch figure must be a typo.

It wouldn't be the first thing a guy ...oh never mind I'll just get in trouble....

[hikernutcasey]

Well, I made it. Got to trailhead at Hwy 221 Friday around 10:00. It took me 2.5 hours to hike the roughly 3.75 mile to the summit having to fight through the rhodos. Snow was around 7 or 8 inches deep up top. Got down to 19 degrees Friday night. It was a good introductory winter trip for me.

Here's a link to some pics I took. In the ones where you can see the big monstrosity condo in the foreground, the bald pointy mountain behind it is Hump Mountain.

[saltysack]

Nice pix...thx


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[Connie]

"The question really is---Who is a member of the exclusive In-Tent Squat and Release Club??"

This is an excellent exposition on reasons to not have a tent floor.