Trip Report: -31.1*C (-23.98*F) in the Piney woods of Algonquin Provincial Park

[entropy]

Glad you guys made out alright!

[keg]

Sounds like a great trip. -30 is colder than I'd imagine doing which means I'll likely be coming along next winter (if only to make my non-camping friends think I'm even more stupid then they already do).

[Canadiangirlskickass]

Nice! Thanks for sharing

[Deep Thought]

Finally added the pictures!
Sorry it took so long to get them up.



DT

[Lofty]

Wow! What a wonderful weekend
It was the first TRUE winter camp for me and my son Liam (he's 11)

We saw Bubba at the west gate then again at the trail head.

Liam was playing in the huge snow pile in the parking lot



I loaded the sled and off we went

the trail was nicely packed - thanks to those who ventured out Friday





Walking Across Mizzy Lake



Nice View of Algonquin




After about 3KM of walking we came to the site.
Got to meet everyone there - enjoyed a hot chocolate and then set up camp.



Liam is in the hennessey under the camo tarp
I am in a blackbird under a maccat
Thanks to Jayson for the use of a 0º phoenix I ended up using on Liam
I had 2x20º a phoenix and a phincubator under me
Enjoyed a nice evening by the fire
Finally head to hammocks around 11:00 -
BUT ...........
Liam woke up at 1:30 - because he was TOO hot so I helped him remove a layer and all was good

Morning came and I tell you - frozen Sorels are NOT fun - But they warmed up after about an hour.

I put Liam to work cutting down a tree and chopping wood - That warmed him up nicely.



morning temp -27ºC ( the other thermometer said -27.5ºC - so Im using that one for my temp ! )


After a little breakfast we got packed up and headed out .
After a cold night and a memorable experience I can't wait to get out and winter camp again

[PineMartyn]

Great report and photos Bubba ,Deep Thought and Lofty.

Not being equipped for a winter hang yet, I dropped in for just a couple of hours with a day pack to meet, mingle, have lunch, and check out people's setups. It was definitely eye-opening for me and have made me want to give it a try. Igloo-camping's great, but building igloos takes quite a bit of time and effort. I saw with my own eyes the advantages of hammocks over tents and snow shelters for winter camping.

Unfortunately Chenvre was under the weather and had to leave that afternoon, but I enjoyed his company when we hiked out together. So even my hike out was fun.

Below are a few photos I took that Saturday afternoon.

A beaver pond along the Mizzy Trail


Ontario Hangers among the conifers


Campfire camaraderie


Hand-feeding a Whiskey Jack / Grey Jay


- Martin

[Chard]

Radagast!!!

[Whiskeyjack]

Looks like everyone had a great time. Gotta love those whiskeyjacks. The only bird I know of that will become tame in 30 seconds.

[Bubba]

Great report guys and that was an impressive low temperature that weekend.



That style of sled isn't the greatest for pulling, especially breaking trail, so the bigger one wouldn't be any better. I suggest you consider getting a blank of puck board and make yourself a tobaggan. This will allow you to not wear a backpack while hiking in and help with the level of floatation you get from your snowshoes. Properly sized blanks can be picked up from here. A 16"x96" piece is $35.88. The material is flexible so it can be rolled up for storage and transportation in small vehicles.

Cheers

Brian

Thanks for the link. I was talking to Mongrel about his sled which is the same style. He mentioned that one could be DIY'd which got me thinking of making one.

[Chard]

Thanks for the link. I was talking to Mongrel about his sled which is the same style. He mentioned that one could be DIY'd which got me thinking of making one.

Mongrel's pulk, made of the same modern materials, is awesome, but you might want to consider revarnishing and waxing up a traditional long wooden toboggan and then it can serve both as family sled on the local hill and wintercamping gear hauler. I used the same setup last year and it worked perfectly. I also took my girls to the local hill and that waxed sled flew like stink!!!

I'm not sure, and the seasoned winter campers used to pulling loads long distances might be able to weigh in, but I would imagine a long narrow sled would be more prone to tipping over (especially while winding through a dense forest) unless pains were taken to lash the bundles down as flat as possible, keeping the overall centre of gravity low.