View Full Version : Hello all
Hi everyone. I've been reading the whiteblaze site for a while now, figured it was time to join the club. :o)
I just wanted to say hello and ask a bit of a bizzare question. Has anyone here ever cowboy camped (slept w/o a tent)? I'm thinking of doing it on an overnighter in the White Mountains once it dries out.
I know this isn't a women's issue, exactly, but I'd feel more comfortable with a female perspective, since it will be only girls on this trip. It would only be for one night, above the tree line.
The idea of not carrying a tent and sleeping under the stars is quite nice, but is it worth it?
Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice and I look forward to becoming an active member.
:o) mabirch
Hi everyone. I've been reading the whiteblaze site for a while now, figured it was time to join the club. :o)
I just wanted to say hello and ask a bit of a bizzare question. Has anyone here ever cowboy camped (slept w/o a tent)? I'm thinking of doing it on an overnighter in the White Mountains once it dries out.
I know this isn't a women's issue, exactly, but I'd feel more comfortable with a female perspective, since it will be only girls on this trip. It would only be for one night, above the tree line.
The idea of not carrying a tent and sleeping under the stars is quite nice, but is it worth it?
Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice and I look forward to becoming an active member.
:o) mabirch
I am not the official greeting party, but welcome to WhiteBlaze! I am of the male species, so you might not be interested in my thoughts and they might not be worth much, but I have to ask why? Here are reasons why not:
a) You will get wet with dew. If it is the weight of a tent that worries you, carry a sil nylon tarp - very light.
b) Camping above the tree line in the White Mtns. is forbidden, not to mention very hard on the back, read rocky.
warraghiyagey
03-29-2007, 01:49
. . . I just wanted to say hello and ask a bit of a bizzare question. Has anyone here ever cowboy camped (slept w/o a tent)? I'm thinking of doing it on an overnighter in the White Mountains once it dries out.
It would only be for one night, above the tree line. . . The idea of not carrying a tent and sleeping under the stars is quite nice, but is it worth it?
:o) mabirch
Also my apologies for being of the 'other' gender but while you "can't" camp above the tree-line in the White's . . . you can. I've done it and a lot of the folks here probably have.
Also probably many WBers that have "cowboyed."
Enjoy your experience and choose your spot well if you do decide to camp up above. Remember though if you want to tell friends of the experience in the future - no fires (basically a homing beacon) + leave no trace and you'll enjoy it.
As for the sleeping bag and shelter - take it anyway. It would simply be dangerous not to. In this situation, if it works for you up there good, but don't leave yourself that far from warmth without a backup plan.
Take the bag and shelter (hopefully a tent) - singles can weigh less than 2 lbs.
Enjoy the trail.
Peace:)
Sleeping under the stars is 1) colder than sleeping in a tent and 2) your sleeping bag will get wet with dew. Whether cowboy camping is a good idea depends on whether you have a warm enough sleeping bag and clothing for the night and whether you'll be able to dry your bag out the following day.
Marta/Five-Leaf
The Old Fhart
03-29-2007, 07:30
Please excuse my posting here but here is a definitive answer about the legality of camping above tree line from the WMNF site (http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain//recreation/camping/backcountry_rules_2006-07.pdf).
Camping in the Alpine Zone (where trees are 8 feet tall or less)
• No camping except on 2 or more feet of snow
• No camping on frozen bodies of water
• No wood or charcoal fires
Please note that the above treeline areas of Cutler River Drainage (Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines and the areas around them including the Alpine Garden and East Snowfields) are closed to camping regardless of snow cover.
NOTE: Violating these restrictions is punishable by a fine pursuant to 16USC551 Besides being illegal, camping above tree line is environmentally irresponsible because the fragile plant life in the alpine zone is extremely susceptible to damage by humans who act carelessly, not realizing that the miniature plants and lichen take decades to grow and can be destroyed by a single footprint. That is why there are many areas (near Lakes Of The Clouds hut) where you absolutely have to stay on the trail when hiking. In this area (and on Franconia Ridge) trail maintainers have put in stone walls along both sides of the trail to make sure you get the point that you have to stay on the trail
Also, anyone who has hiked in the Whites knows how rapidly the weather changes and many hikers have been caught in violent storms above tree line during the day. If you are illegally camping and sleeping above tree line you will have no warning of approaching storms and are likely to become a statistic.
Bottom line, despite the bad advice from Warraghiyagey, act responsibly and don't do it.
Pokey2006
03-29-2007, 08:01
She didn't say she was going to camp above treeline, only that she wanted to camp in the Whites. Not all of the Whites are above treeline. There's an awful lot of the White Mountain National Forest that is decidedly BELOW treeline. Most of it, in fact.
I would, however, say to bring a shelter, anyway, just in case. And check the weather first. Don't try to cowboy if the weather is calling for three days of rain, for example.
Even though there's quite a bit of below-treeline hiking and camping to be done in the White Mountains, here's another thought: maybe try cowboying in a less extreme spot first? There are overnight possibilities in southern New Hampshire, or the Sandwich Range, or the Berkshires, where you could test out the whole idea, and still be able to easily bail if, say, your sleeping bag got all wet with dew. A lot of places are within easy driving distance of where you are, in central Mass.
Whatever you do, good luck with this year's hiking! Like you, I'm just waiting for the snow to melt and the temps to drop just enough to get back out there!
Pokey2006
03-29-2007, 08:02
Sorry. She DID say above treeline...then I would advise picking a spot for camping below treeline... Along with my other advice. Oops.
From my own experiences in camping above treeline (and that is pretty much what I do when backpacking!), a shelter is handy in many ways:
Privacy
Wind
Sudden rain
Late season snow
Bugs
But a bivy can work wonders for covering your sleeping bag, as can a tarp.
Here is a question for you Easties...why is alpine camping banned in the Whites? (Never been there!) Alpine is fragile, but it can handle people (if they treat it gently). One of the things I live for is cross country backpacking in alpine (and this often is on what is called alpine tundra, meaning no trees at all).
But then again, camping below treeline (while boring) is usually warmer and less windy.
Hey all,
Thanks for the posts and the help. Although I knew that setting up camp and having fires above tree line is illegal, I wasn't sure about merely sleeping (which is why I brought up the cowboy camping.)
Anyway thanks again.