3 Days of Winter Hammock Camping, Backpacking, & Snow Hiking in New Hampshire’s White Mountains using the Amok Draumr XL Hammock.
For this 3 day, 2 night spring snow camping trip, I’ll be hiking a section of trail in northern New Hampshire to setup a winter base camp in the remote Mt Cabot & Unknown Pond region of the White Mountain National Forest.
For sleep and shelter I packed in my Amok Draumr XL hammock, paired with the Amok Borg tarp and Amok Fjol XL sleeping pad. I had never used the Amok hammock on a winter trip before, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to test it, as the forecast called for a decent amount of snow and temperatures a little bit below it’s recommended temperature range of 20°F. More details on my winter backpacking gear can be found at the end of this post.
Unknown Pond Route Overview – Sintax77
No permit is required to camp in the White Mountains NF, but there are rules and regulations regarding backcountry camping. You can find more information on the USFS White Mountains website here.
Join us for 2 days of winter camping, backpacking & snowshoeing with a pulk sled in the deep snow of the Adirondack mountains.
For this winter camping adventure, we’ll be using a DIY pulk sled to setup up a base camp in the Giant Mountain Wilderness. Day one will be dedicated to building camp and settling in, followed by a summit attempt of Giant Mountain on day two.
Our winter pulk sled will be used for group items such as campfire cooking gear, stoves, steaks and other food, additional firewood, our tent, etc. In addition to the sled, Mike, Frank and myself each have a backpack for personal items such as cold weather clothing options and other gear. A list of notable gear can be found at the end of this post.
Route Overview – Roaring Brook to Giant Mt – Sintax77
No permit is required to camp in the Giant mountain wilderness, but there are rules and regulations regarding backcountry camping. You can find more information on the Adirondacks Park Giant Mountain Wilderness website here.
Join me for 3 days of Winter Hammock Camping, Backpacking & Hiking in the Smoky Mountains.
For this winter camping adventure, I’ll be doing a Gregory Bald Loop Hike, incorporating campsite 13 Sheep Pen Gap, campsite 113 Birch Spring Gap, and a hike to the Shuckstack Fire Tower. This is my second backpacking trip to the Smokies, but due to the shorter winter days, ice, and snow, I’ll be slowing the pace down a bit compared to my previous hammock camping experience there.
Join Mike & I as we Attempt to Winter Camp in a Snow Trench at -15° F, Deep in the Woods of the White Mountains.
For this winter backpacking & Snow Camping adventure, we’ll be heading into the austere terrain of the Dry River Wilderness in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Our main challenge for this adventure will be to sleep without the comforts of a tent of hammock. Our goal is to use bivvy sacks to protect our sleeping bags from the elements as well as extend the range of our sleeping bags. The latter of which is of particular importance because we’ll be packing in sleeping bags rated for around 15° to 20° F, in temperatures of around -15° F. Our secondary objective will be to hit the summit of Mt Crawford, replete with stunning, 360° views of the White Mountains. Oh, and we’ve got some pretty fun backpacking food on the menu as well. We’ll be camp cooking all “real food” on this trip, thanks to the sub-zero temps, no traditional dehydrated backpacking food.
Route Overview – Snow Trench Camping – Sintax77
Topics Covered in this Episode
Winter Campsite selection, via topographical maps, and well …pure luck.
Winter camping snow shovels (see gear list below for further details)
The complications of cooking backpacking food in sub-zero winter conditions.
Digging a winter camping shelter in the snow, along with tarp setup, should you be lucky enough to have one available (we did).
Building a fire on top of snow (not nearly as hard as you might think it is – even on the 6+ feet of snow that we had to deal with).
Sleeping in a snow trench with a SOL Escape Bivvy sack.
The balance of hitting a winter summit, versus well, not eating, hydrating or, you know -surviving.
Trailhead Parking
Davis Path Trailhead, Crawford Notch Rd, Bartlett, NH 03812
Setup camp in the flat area found around 2,500′ along the Davis Path Trail.
Elevation Profile Day 1 – Snow Trench Camping – Sintax77
Day 1 Mileage: 2.0 miles Day 1 Elevation Gain: 1,725′
Stats & Trails Used, Day Two
Wake up, get a campfire going, and cook some soup for breakfast to get fueled up.
Grab some essential items (snacks, water, camera gear) and leave the majority of gear at camp to keep things fast and light for the upcoming high winds summit attempt.
Rejoin Davis Path Trail and head north.
At the junction, take the Mt Crawford Spur Trail, towards the summit of Mt Crawford.
Head back down the same way, to return to base camp and pack up the bulk our remaining items.
Elevation Profile Day 2 – Snow Trench Camping – Sintax77
Day 2 Mileage: 3.1 miles *0.65 miles to the summit of Mt Crawford, 2 miles from camp to the Davis Path Trailhead Parking Lot. Day 2 Elevation Gain: 974′
Trip Totals Total Elevation Gain: 2,699′
Total Mileage: 5.1 Miles
Notable Gear Used / Seen on this Backpacking Trip:
Traction & Traversal
MSR Denali Ascent Snowshoes *No longer in production, I got them on Ebay. A modern equivalent would be something like the MSR Evo Ascent Snowshoe. Kahtoola Micro Spikes *I didn’t end up using them, as I had my snowshoes on most of the time, but I always throw these in the pack for snow trips to deal with icy terrain. Trekking Poles – CNOC Outdoors Carbon Fiber Vertex Trekking Poles
Join me for 3 days of Winter Camping, Hammock setup, Snowshoeing, Camp Stove testing with multiple Fuel types for Snow Melting, Cold Weather Clothing tips & more on this mega episode.
For this solo winter backpacking and snow camping adventure, I’ll be heading into the deep snow of the Sandwich Range Wilderness in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. If you’re serious about geeking out on the finer details of camping in deep snow in temperatures below zero F, this video is for you. We’ll be spending a lot of time at camp experimenting, demonstrating and discussing a lot of winter camping topics in detail, including –
Snowshoe types and usage
Campsite selection
Using the Outdoor Vitals Mummy Pod System
Snow melting for drinking water
Extensive testing using the Optimus Polaris Optifuel stove comparing several camping fuel types for winter cooking & snow melting – LPG canister fuel, white gas, and diesel fuel. Liquid fuel stove priming, inverted canister mode, fuel efficiency, etc.
Winter hammock camping tarp setup in the snow.
Trekking poles for winter hiking
Staying warm on winter camping trips – clothing layer management and strategy, sleeping bag choices, hot water bottle for supplemental warmth.
Traction & Traversal
MSR Denali Ascent Snowshoes *No longer in production, I got them on Ebay. A modern equivalent would be something like the MSR Evo Ascent Snowshoe. Kahtoola Micro Spikes *I didn’t end up using them, as I had my snowshoes on most of the time, but I always throw these in the pack for snow trips to deal with icy terrain. Trekking Poles – CNOC Outdoors Carbon Fiber Vertex Trekking Poles
– Emergency Bivvy Sack for Survival and Camping
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*No longer in production, I got them on Ebay. A modern equivalent would be something like the 
.
*I didn’t end up using them, as I had my snowshoes on most of the time, but I always throw these in the pack for snow trips to deal with icy terrain.
*I’m not sure my model is in production anymore. The closest current version seems to be the 
.
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