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
Come along for 2 days of Winter Hammock Camping, Backpacking, & Camp cooking as we hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail near Port Clinton, PA.
For this winter camping adventure, I’ll be taking advantage of a couple of free days by heading up to Port Clinton, Pennsylvania for a spur of the moment solo backpacking trip. Along the way, we’ll see some sections of the Appalachian Trail that PA has to offer, go over my winter backpacking gear, setup a winter hammock camping rig, build a campfire, and do a a decent amount of camp cooking on my trusty, old-school canister stove.
Trailhead Parking
Appalachian Trailhead, Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, Rt 61 Note: Parking at the actual trailhead is no longer allowed / possible. I parked in the town of Port Clinton near the Fire Station and proceeded down Penn St to the dead end. This small detour allows you to hike directly under the highway bridge and link up with the Appalachian Trail on the other side.
This was a relatively simple ‘in and out’ hike with a total one way distance of just under 3 miles and an elevation gain of 1,284′.
Port Clinton Winter Hammock Camping Elevation Profile for Hike In – Sintax77
Notable Gear Used / Seen on this Backpacking Trip: For a more detailed account, check out my full Winter Ultralight Backpacking Gear List Blog Post / Video.
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
Join Mike and I for for a “Train to Trail” Winter Camping, Backpacking, Campfire cooking, & Hiking adventure in Harpers Ferry, WV.
We tried something a bit different for fun on this winter camping trip – instead of driving, we decided to take an Amtrak train directly to the trailhead. This is actually and idea that Mike and I had been kicking around for a while now. The first challenge was finding an interesting trail that was actually close to a train station, without a need for secondary transportation or an excessive walk. After a bit of research, we determined that Harpers Ferry, West Virginia fit the criteria quite well. The train practically dumps you right on the Appalachian Trail. We booked our tickets, packed our bags, and hit the trail, er, I mean, train station.
With 4 days and 3 nights off, we had a decent amount of time to play with on this trip. The challenge however, would be that we needed to plan an out and back trip that didn’t put us to far away from the train station on our final morning, rather than doing a loop like we normally prefer. Fortunately, we quickly realized that to be a perfect excuse to do a a laid back, more camping, less hiking kind of trip.
The plan? After leaving the train behind,we would hop on the Appalachian trail for a few miles – just long enough to feel the seclusion of the deep winter woods, and set up a base camp for the duration of the trip. Other than that, we really had no hard set plans, other than relaxing, having a good time, and brushing up on our campfire cooking skills. Did we succeed? I guess you’ll just have to watch and see…
Trails Used
Leave Harpers Ferry via Appalachian Trail South After around 3 miles, bushwack West to unofficial campsite.
Return via Appalachian Trail North
– Emergency Bivvy Sack for Survival and Camping
, long
*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 
.
Alpha
(came with my Sawyer S3 system)
– Large
w/ battery
Wgt
, Med Wgt Carhartt
Lt
backpack
stove
with fancy lightshow
.
/ Plate
tanto blade pocket knife