Laying in your sleeping bag, inside a four season tent, drinking hot chocolate made over a stove nicely placed in the roomy vestibule found on many four seasons tents, talking with a good friend, and having the wind howl and the snow falling heavily is very rewarding. Another trick is to be able to change plans to adapt to the weather, which often requires backing out of a trip or stopping and making camp even when on a trip where an overnight was not planned.īeing out in "bad" weather can be a very good experience. The trick is to push the experience envelope just enough to gain some field smarts, but not enough to get into trouble. I've done this after taking many trips of increasing difficulty combined with enough training where I could handle what I was going to face. By doing this I've been able to increase my winter experience and knowledge enough to better handle unpredicted weather when on a more extensive trip where bailing out is not an option. As my experience grew I began to venture further. My first couple of nights camping in extreme winter weather were in a tent in my back yard. I have chosen to camp somewhere fairly close to an all weather road so if something goes wrong, I have the ability to bail out and return to my vehicle. I've purposely taken winter cross county skiing overnight ski trips when heavy and windy snowstorms are predicted. You should also be very aware of the weather forecast and smart enough to bow out of a trip if extreme conditions are possible. Along with this equipment, you must have the knowledge and experience to handle the weather and to be able to know exactly where you are at all times. You have to be prepared for it and that includes carrying enough equipment to be able to have shelter, warmth, and food to be able to sit out whatever weather event you have ventured into. Hiking or cross country skiing in "bad" weather can be a very good experience.
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