Hammock Gear Burrow 0° Top Quilt Wide, 26.4 oz (I went with the wide version for better coverage on tent trips where I may sleep on the ground. If you only plan to use yours in a hammock, you can probably do a standard width model)
Climbing Grade Carabiners Rated 1,000lb+, 1.5 oz for the pair (In the video I’m using Dutchware biners that came with my Chameleon Hammock, but I also use Black Diamond Neutrino carabiners
Total Hammock System Weight: 1.75 lbs (793 grams) Total Insulation System Weight: 3.25 lbs (1.47 kilos) Shelter System Weight (tarp plus all lines & adjustment hardware): 8.75 oz
Deep Winter Hammock Camping System Grand Total Weight: 5.55 lbs (2.52 kilos)
I’m not sure if they make the actual Camp brand snow shovel seen in this video anymore. That’s why I linked the other brand above which looks similar and appears to have solid reviews. But I did find a new plastic version by Camp that weighs in at only 9 oz. I’m sure it’s not nearly as resilient though, as the blade is made of polypropylene, as opposed to a coated aluminum.
For this Backpacking Trip, we use a Pulk Sled to go Winter Camping in the Deep Snow of the White Mountains.
Mike and I originally planned to do a long overdue return trip to Mt Crawford for some winter backpacking and camping, but as is usually the case, the notorious weather of the White Mountains thwarted our efforts. With a higher summits forecast from the White Mountains Observatory calling for -60° wind chills due subzero temps combined with high winds and gusts upwards of 90 MPH, we opted to stick to the lower elevations instead. So we shelved our higher elevation idea to camp on Mt Crawford, and instead started scouting for a new location on the fly.
Basically, we were winging it in terms of trip planning, but fortunately I was armed with a full set of White Mountains AMC maps to keep up safely prepared on whatever trail we ended up cast upon by the winter hiking gods.
In the video we do some snow campsite selection and setup, tons of firewood collection, snow furniture building, campfire cooking, trail sledding on the rather steep Airline Trail, and overall just plain having a fun time out in the snowy woods of New Hampshire for a few days.
Downloadable GPS data for this trip and others can be found on the Trip Data Page.
Winter Sled Camping Route Overview – Sintax77
Time of Year Mid February
Parking Location Appalachia Trailhead Parking Lot
44°22’17.6″N 71°17’19.9″W
Trailhead
Appalachia Trailhead on Presidential Hwy (Hwy 2), Randolph, NH
Trails Used, Day One
Valley Way Trail
Randolph Path
Airline Trail
Setup Camp near Airline Trail
Located in the middle of the triangle formed for the Airline, Randolph Path, and Valley Way Trails.We used this campsite with significant snow pack on the ground so leveling out a decent platform for a tent was no problem. Based on my experience in this general area on previous summer trips, I would assume it would not make a very accommodating tentsite without snow, due to the steep and rugged terrain.
Day 1 Mileage: 2 miles Day 1 Elevation Gain: 1,122′
Winter Sled Camping Day 1 Elevation Profile – Sintax77
Trails Used, Day Two
Airline Trail
Return to vehicle at Appalachia Trailhead Parking Lot
Day 1 Mileage: 1 mile Day 1 Elevation Gain: 6′ (pretty brutal, I know)
Winter Sled Camping Day 2 Elevation Profile – Sintax77
Join me for 3 days of Solo Backpacking, Hiking, Hammock Camping, & Wild Ponies on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia’s Grayson Highlands.
For this backpacking trip, I’ll be hiking and camping solo in a section of the Mt Rogers National Recreation Area, within the larger George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. I’ll be using a portion of the Appalachian Trail to create a 3 day, 2 night backpacking loop of around 20 miles or so. The Grayson Highlands are known for their high winds and unpredictable, rapidly changing weather, so being that I’m doing the trip in March, I’ll be packing amount of warm weather and rain resistant gear. If you’re interested in a detailed account of everything that I packed, check out my previous Winter Ultralight Backpacking Gear List blog post and video. That will give you a look at exactly what I packed for the trip.
Below is a daily rundown of the trails and campsites used for each day. Full GPS track data can be found on the Trip Data page.
Parking Location
Grayson Highlands State Park, Overnight Backpacker’s Parking Area at the Massie Gap Parking Lot. N36° 38.012′ W81° 30.322′
Trails Used, Day 1
Depart Massie Gap Parking Lot
Rhododendron Trail
Appalachian Trail South
Wilburn Ridge Trail (it’s also possible to stay on the AT)
Rejoin the Appalachian Trail South
Setup camp about 200 yards past the Thomas Knob Shelter.
Day 1 Mileage: 4.25 miles Day 1 Elevation Gain: 2,096′
A spring is about a 100 yards down the trail behind the shelter.
Camping options for tents and hammocks are available a few hundred yards past the shelter, heading south. Tenting spots are on the ridge to the left, hammock camping opportunities are in the trees to the right.
There are also some nice campsite opportunities about a 1/4 mile or so before the shelter as well (AT north from the shelter)
Grayson Highlands Day 1 Elevation Profile – Sintax77
Trails Used, Day 2
Continue on the Appalachian Trail South
Mt Rogers Trail Towards Grindstone Campground (not to be confused with the Mt
Rogers Spur Trail which hits the summit of Mt Rogers. That trail is available shortly after leaving the campsite. I’ve heard it doesn’t have any views, but it holds the distinction as Virginia’s highest peak).
Lewis Fork Spur Trail (turn here a couple of miles before hitting the campground).
Cliffside Trail
Crest Trail
Scales Trail
Setup Camp near the intersection of Scales Trail with the Appalachian Trail
Day 2 Mileage: 11 miles Day 2 Elevation Gain: 1,320′
There are a number of hammock and tent camping opportunities on the edge of the field opposite from the AT intersection.
There is plenty water in several directions from the intersection. The particular campsite I used (tagged in my GPS data) has water right next to it within 20 yards or so.
Grayson Highlands Day 2 Elevation Profile – Sintax77
Trails Used, Day 3
Continue on the Scales Trail South (note: it is possible to continue on the AT
South and eventually make your way back to the Massie Gap parking lot as well. I chose the scales route because it is considerably quicker and I had to do a long drive home upon reaching the lot.)
Seed Orchard Trail (this wasn’t on my Nat Geo Map, but after coming out of the woods, you’ll see a sign directing you towards the AT by turning right. Instead, look left. You’ll see a water crossing with a brown Grayson Highlands State Park sign listing various rules and regs. The path along the fence over there is the Seed Orchard Trail)
Follow signs towards Hickory Ridge Campground.
Past the campground, there will be a large metal gate for a Horse Trail
Follow the Horse Trail (there doesn’t seem to be a fancier name for it)
Appalachian Spur Trail towards the Backpacker’ s Parking Lot
Return the Massie Gap Parking Lot
Day 3 Mileage: 3.5 miles Day 3 Elevation Gain: 499′
Grayson Highlands Day 1 Elevation Profile – Sintax77
Trip Grand Total Mileage: 18.75 miles Trip Grand Total Elevation Gain: 3,915′
A detailed look at my 2017 Winter Ultralight Backpacking Gear List
For a detailed list of my winter backpacking gear, with itemized weights and descriptions, you can download PDF and CSV format copies of this list as well as lists for previous trips / videos my Gear Lists page.
Toiletries
Toilet Paper
Toiletry Kit
Wet Wipes
Hand Sanitizer
Clothing, Secondary & Spare
Jacket – Montbell UL Down Parka Socks, Wool – Heavy Wgt
Hat, Beanie – Lt Wgt Fleece
Shirt, Long sleeve – Fleece Lt Long Underwear, Merino
Shirt, short sleeve Sock Liner, Med Wgt Carhartt
Pants, fleece lined by EMS Gloves, Work
Based on Viewer Feedback I’ve Chosen the Location for my Solo Winter Backpacking Trip!
For the second installment of this series, I’ll be talking about my final choice for the location of the upcoming backpacking trip that I’ve been planning. How did I make my decision on the final location for my winter camping trip? You told me!
A very big thanks is in order for all of the super helpful viewers and subscribers that shared their feedback on the previous trip planning video. Obviously, i had to narrow it down to just one area out of the hundred of backpacking routes that we shared, but I definitely learned a ton of useful info on areas for future trips as well.
For now though, I’m going to focus on the spot chosen for this trip. Which is, of course, – Oh, come on, you didn’t think I’d really ruin the surprise by typing it here, did you? 🙂
I plan to do continued updates throughout the whole process of planning this winter hiking trip. All the way from location selection, specific route planning, getting there, doing the actual trip, and whatever else may come up in between, so check back for updates!
carabiners
Sleeping Pad
Sleeping Pad
(we were using white gas)
Tent
(Yellow pad used for bench, I stacked it on top of a 
pad for sleeping at night)
Sleeping Pad (Mikes sleep pad)
Backpack (Mike’s pack)
Snowshoes (my grey snowshoes)
(Mike’s snowshoes)
(Fire starter used on day 2)
listed on Amazon.
– Large
, long
w/ battery
Wgt
, Med Wgt Carhartt
Lt