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  1. #1
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    Default Long winter nights in the woods.

    How do you spend your long nights when you cant have a fire?

  2. #2
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Enjoy the night. See the stars without blinding yourself with a fire.
    Wayne


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    Eddie Valiant: "That lame-brain freeway idea could only be cooked up by a toon."
    https://wayne-ayearwithbigfootandbubba.blogspot.com
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  3. #3

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    I get plenty of sleep.

  4. #4
    Registered User colorado_rob's Avatar
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    If you're alone, read; get a kindle phone app (watch out for actual kindles! They can freeze and break).

    If you're with a companion, try playing games. We like Yahtzee, 5 dice and a few sheets of score pads, good to go!

    Plus, already said, plenty of sleep. Luxurious, wonderful, sleep.... perfect time to get totally caught up.

  5. #5

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    ** Have a tent big enough to enjoy for long periods of time.
    ** Keep a trail journal.
    ** Look thru your camera pics.
    ** Do yoga and meditate.
    ** Snack or brew tea and/or cook meals.
    ** Listen to your little radio.
    ** Plan tomorrow's trek.
    ** Light a stick of incense to brighten the mood.
    ** Dig a turtlehead "pre-hole" for the inevitable Turd Deposit into the special account.
    ** Walk around camp before or after dusk and pick up every scrap of litter and place in main firepit.
    ** Carry various forms of books and read and burn if able (without a fireban).
    ** Formulate a religion based upon Nature and your relationship with Nature and write it all down in your trip report.
    ** Record your thoughts on Man's war against Nature and write long screeds against sprawl, development, addiction to electricity or whatever else you see which is destroying America the Beautiful.

  6. #6

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    Kindle Paperwhite for me. If I'm on a longer hike I sometimes use the kindle app on my phone to save a little weight but I prefer the actual kindle.

  7. #7
    Registered User Huli's Avatar
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    Read, repair/maintain/clean gear, write in journal, ensure all stuff is stowed properly and see if critters have investigated my hung food bag.

    Love the "turtle hole" idea. That is going on my list.

  8. #8

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    On one hike I brought a small tin, in it were a few projects I was working on...painted some plastic model parts.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    ** Have a tent big enough to enjoy for long periods of time.
    ** Keep a trail journal.
    ** Look thru your camera pics.
    ** Do yoga and meditate.
    ** Snack or brew tea and/or cook meals.
    ** Listen to your little radio.
    ** Plan tomorrow's trek.
    ** Light a stick of incense to brighten the mood.
    ** Dig a turtlehead "pre-hole" for the inevitable Turd Deposit into the special account.
    ** Walk around camp before or after dusk and pick up every scrap of litter and place in main firepit.
    ** Carry various forms of books and read and burn if able (without a fireban).
    ** Formulate a religion based upon Nature and your relationship with Nature and write it all down in your trip report.
    ** Record your thoughts on Man's war against Nature and write long screeds against sprawl, development, addiction to electricity or whatever else you see which is destroying America the Beautiful.
    Tipi....your killing me.....


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  10. #10
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    Usually I hike until I'm physically done, and then a long night with lots of sleep is welcome.
    Most of my hikes until last year were done during holidays when it was very welcome to have time and opportunity to think through all the small and big problems of (business-)life.
    Now that I'm part-time retired its more thinking about how to manage to get all the exciting things done.

    And as I'm a extensive reader, I can easily spend days just reading (Kindle app on the smartphone).

  11. #11
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    Hike until 1.5 hrs before dark. Set up camp, make dinner, clean up, hang food/stove/pot, pee one last time (yeah, right), then go to bed and read until hands go numb, almost fall asleep then hear something that brings you wide awake again, fall asleep until you wake up having to pee again, consider getting out of warm sleeping bag or just holding it for entirely too long, finally do it, go back to bed and sleep a couple more hrs until sun comes up.

    ...or at least that's how my long winter nights usually go.

  12. #12
    Some days, it's not worth chewing through the restraints.
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    same as summer... sit and stare at the campfire

  13. #13
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    Default Same Same

    I've been wondering about that myself. I plan on leaving Harper's Ferry WVA on a SOBO flip flop on March 1, 2017. So, I will likely be alone a good bit of the time and it will likely be cold for the first month. Given that the Shenandoah Park is going to be closed, I wonder how hard it will be to get into towns for resupply. And recharge of the battery in the phone. And a hot shower. And...

    PS, I will be 66 and on my first overnight hike. So, newbie to boot. Just weighed 5 days' food at 3,000 cal/day (I'm 6'3): 144 oz! Yipes. That's 9 pounds! 4 lbs of H2O. My goal of under 30 lbs total looks like it's gonna be closer than I thought.

    Other than "you are too old" or "you should not do that" - both of which I get a lot - any suggestions?

  14. #14
    Registered User shelterbuilder's Avatar
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    Sleep...lots of sleep.
    Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - it's about learning how to dance in the rain!

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by MtDoraDave View Post
    Hike until 1.5 hrs before dark. Set up camp, make dinner, clean up, hang food/stove/pot, pee one last time (yeah, right), then go to bed and read until hands go numb, almost fall asleep then hear something that brings you wide awake again, fall asleep until you wake up having to pee again, consider getting out of warm sleeping bag or just holding it for entirely too long, finally do it, go back to bed and sleep a couple more hrs until sun comes up.

    ...or at least that's how my long winter nights usually go.

    +1 on the getting up. Mostly paperbacks where the good guys win.
    76 HawkMtn w/Rangers
    14 LHHT
    15 Girard/Quebec/LostTurkey/Saylor/Tuscarora/BlackForest
    16 Kennerdell/Cranberry-Otter/DollyS/WRim-NCT
    17 BearR
    18-19,22 AT NOBO 1562.2
    22 Hadrian's Wall
    23 Cotswold Way

  16. #16

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    Tipi, that was one of your best posts.

    Listen for wildlife, the creaking of the trees in the wind, and leaves blowing in the wind. If I'm still bored I look for a big green monster Hilleberg and inquire from the occupant if I can borrow an avocado.

    Seriously, I winter night hike. It's so beautiful. Winter time in the woods doesn't equate with winter camping in the woods. I take it as a given part of the winter experience that I plan on hiking well after dark. It's magical. I plan for it. Coming across snow covered trees and snow/ice underfoot, the clear winter skies, meteors, the sound of running water, the glowing eyes and breath of elk, moose, and deer, and the hooty hoos of owls....magical. Magical.

  17. #17
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    Tipi...it's takes boredom,thought and planning to pre dig cat holes! Dogwood you might want to borrow some prunes from tipi! He must be REGULAR!

    PS
    Make sure these holes are 6"!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  18. #18
    Registered User colorado_rob's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by saltysack View Post
    Tipi....your killing me.....


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    Well, not killing me, but it sure is sad to see someone like Tipi; strong, smart, hugely experienced, big hearted yet so profoundly cynical and negative at times (the USA is dying thing). I suppose this has blossomed of late due to recent, er, events....

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by saltysack View Post
    Tipi...it's takes boredom,thought and planning to pre dig cat holes! Dogwood you might want to borrow some prunes from tipi! He must be REGULAR!

    PS
    Make sure these holes are 6"!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    i've predug cat holes. It's easier and more likely to be done right in daylight than at 3AM.
    76 HawkMtn w/Rangers
    14 LHHT
    15 Girard/Quebec/LostTurkey/Saylor/Tuscarora/BlackForest
    16 Kennerdell/Cranberry-Otter/DollyS/WRim-NCT
    17 BearR
    18-19,22 AT NOBO 1562.2
    22 Hadrian's Wall
    23 Cotswold Way

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by RangerZ View Post
    i've predug cat holes. It's easier and more likely to be done right in daylight than at 3AM.
    The trick can be finding it at 3AM.
    76 HawkMtn w/Rangers
    14 LHHT
    15 Girard/Quebec/LostTurkey/Saylor/Tuscarora/BlackForest
    16 Kennerdell/Cranberry-Otter/DollyS/WRim-NCT
    17 BearR
    18-19,22 AT NOBO 1562.2
    22 Hadrian's Wall
    23 Cotswold Way

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