We camped on beautiful Polliwog Pond...the picture above show the fire-pit under about 1-2 feet of snow...
The campsite had an outhouse, which was a mixed blessing...nice not to have to be completely hardcore in our camping, but the seat was cold and the door couldn't close (nice view though)...
I got to the camp about 10am on Friday (no school due to Prez-weekend), and the rest arrived starting shortly thereafter into the early afternoon.
It took a while to prep the camp to make it habitable...we had to dig down through lots of snow to make places for our tents, and dig paths through the campsite, so that we wouldn't get soaked or trip in the deep snow while navigating the campsite, especially after dark...
We also gathered massive quantities of firewood to help us stay warm through the evening...everyone brought lots of food and stuff to drink, and we tended to group-cook throughout the weekend, which worked out well...it was in the 20s during the day on Friday, and the temperature really started dropping once the Sun went down...
It was barbarically cold overnight, both the camp and the Lake Clear Airport thermometers agreed on -17 degrees...
I actually had some trouble getting going in the morning: I stayed in my sleeping bag until after 7am because it was unthinkable to disturb the minimal comfort that I had achieved, I had trouble getting my fingers to manage the fine-motor control necessary to work the zippers onn my tent and my parka...
We all got up, got the fire going, and got some hot food/drink into our systems as it approached, and eventually broke the zero-degree barrier...we had a fun day Saturday, and then started to prepare for the return of COLD as the sun dipped behind the trees on the West end of Polliwog...
Staying warm Saturday night was hard work, as the temperature initially dropped even quicker than it had on Friday night...one member of our party, while trying to dry off her socks, melted them...
The hero of the weekend, in my opinion, was my workhorse of a camping stove, which melted and warmed lots of snow and ice for the warm food and drinks which kept us alive...
It was a fun time, everyone left with the same number of finger and toes as they came with, and it is nice to stretch yourself every once in a while, but I wouldn't want to do this kind of camping very often...
I'm looking forward to our next outing...maybe in the Spring or Summer...
2 comments:
Bravo, Jamie! You've done what I always said I was going to do - at least once. Alas, it probably won't happen for us, as our aging bones dictated we upgrade to a popup camper.
At least I got to go vicariously. Thanks for posting.
Hey Bro.
Thanks for immortalizing our trip in your blog. A good time and an amazing learning experience!
Rick aka Festus
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