Quote:


A short sentence that conveys a lot. Man, this dude's baaaaad. ………

Ok, compared to y’all, Kentucky’s near the equator. But since we’re sharing about winter (or technically in this case PRE-winter) traditions …:

The background: At last count, 16 in my immediate family have killed whitetail deer (three brothers in law, a sister, my son, my daughter, two nieces, seven nephews and I). I’ve killed at least one deer and usually two or three some 26 years in a row – but to me it’s not only about filling the freezer but also about spiritual connection to the land and my ancestors.

To celebrate that spirit, a few of us set up Deer Camp every November on an abandoned farm of about 200 acres, and we stay there as long as work and responsibilities allow. We sleep in tents, cook over a fire and enjoy the cords of camaraderie that tie family together.

We hang deer from a log stretched high between two trees and carve off venison to cook over beds of coals from seasoned black locust. We sip bourbon around the fire while listening to coyotes and owls, watching meteors and feeling the wind and whispers of light from stars. And we sleep in small, unheated tents.

I use the two-man Marmot I take to Canada, with an old cotton sleeping bag tossed on the floor as an insulating barrier. I sleep in a little mummy bag with shake-it-up toe warmer or two thrown in. About 5 a.m., I slip into long underwear and dash to the canopy, where there’s a little propane heater and lanterns. We dress, eat oatmeal and drink tea or coffee, and wait for anyone who’s driving down from their homes, then trudge into the woods before light.

Night-time temps range from low 30s to low 20s, with a few nights in the teens. (But because it’s Kentucky, you just never know what you’re going to get. In the 60s one day, snow the next, then blustering wind with "feels-like" temps well below freezing. One year a couple of guys had thrown up bigger tents, and the weather suddenly turned really warm, and straight-line winds during a tornado warning literally lifted the tents one afternoon and blew them tumbling across a field. We counted later, and one tent had had 16 stakes pulled out of the ground.)

Usually, however, it’s 20s at night and 40s to 50s during the day.

That doesn’t sound cold compared to negative temperatures, but after a week of sleeping in that and bathing out of a bucket in 40 degrees and sitting completely still in a deer stand for many many hours at a time, you feel a little beat up.

- Kypaddler

Sleeping under the stars in northern Mn when the temps were deep in the minus zone was a nice experience, but I always had a warm cabin nearby once I woke up. Still do that on occasion and have pondered setting up a winter gathering of canoeist at the cabin. Spent a few weeks there after Christmas and a few hardy paddlers snowshoed in the 3 mile long winter access trail to talk canoeing and stayed the night. Clear and -27 that night but everyone slept inside content with the crackling fire in the woodstove instead of the pops of freezing trees under the stars.

"Teaser:  Who ever said wolves don't attack humans . . . . "

not me - I know of at least one verified instance of wolves killing a hiker about 10 years ago, and many instances of wolf attacks

Today is sunny and calm and at dawn was 33 below zero, but will be warming up all day and tonight "warm" at just -10.  The sun is highlighting the drifted snow on the lake from yesterday which now look like white-caps rolling into shore.  A couple deep drifts in the yard look like I could build an igloo out of them, which I intend to try when the daytime temps warm up next week.
My Dad used to build igloos and I helped several times.  He has slept in them overnight a few times to try it out (1960's, in the yard) and once had wolf tracks right up to the door, checking him out while he slept. 
When I was in high school he would build one large enough to park the small 4-door Ford we had then, in as a garage.  It was strong enough for us kids to play around on top of it.

I've got a story.  Will post about it on Sunday or Monday.  A little tipsy right now and have to run a wrestling tournament this weekend.  Teaser:  Who ever said wolves don't attack humans . . . .

I skied for four hours this afternoon; most of it in the Boundary Waters. I stayed off the lakes though and if required a sauna when I returned. I did ski to one lake- just to take a peek.

"Wondering if anyone has stories about being brave enough to have camped in these brutal conditions?"

yeah, but not in a tent.  I always camp in the back of my pickup, under the topper.  with a heater to run when I wake up, its doable.  Coldest I ever slept in back was 24 below zero while late season elk hunting.  I do the same for most hunting trips, and for XC ski trips - understand that almost anywhere I go for any activity is going to be 150 to 250 miles one-way from Denver or farther, so it makes sense to camp out and do a two day trip.  I've probably woken up to 10 below at least 50 times.  In the back of a metal truck, its just as cold inside as outside, so first thing I do is start the heater - one of those propane heater/cooker 15000 BTU type - it'll warm up the inside to maybe 45 or 50 in about 10 minutes. (I never run a heater while sleeping, and always have the side windows open a little for ventilation all the time, even when sleeping).  When its real cold, say anywhere from plus 10 and colder, I will often have to preheat my clothes before getting dressed, and always will hold my boots over the heater long enough to warm them, then hold my feet over the heater till they get hot and then put the boots on, and finally do the same with my gloves - if its 10 below before I get up, all of my clothes and boots are 10 below too, so I need to warm them up first.  Then comes the hard part - I cook breakfast out on the tailgate, and if its 0 or colder, or at least if the windchill is that cold, I may have to run the heater and keep it nearby just to be able to warm up and keep my hands from freezing.  If I'm going skiing, or its  miserable windchill, I may have to climb back in the truck and close it up and run the heater again, to warm up enough to start out (otherwise, I'm already nearly frozen) - especially if XC skiing with those little boots.  I almost never cook inside, as it puts too much condensation inside, which freezes and then thaws and drips on me when it warms up.  I "hung" some styrafoam insulation panels near the ceiling of the topper to keep most of the drip off of me, but putting too much heat in isn't a good idea and I don't try to get it hot inside.  A hot tent with a wood heater would be a lot nicer, but I don't want to spend that kind of money when I have my perfectly adequate truck to camp in.

Just sitting here watching the snow blow by my windows at Lake V, MN...sunny day, 0-F temp, 35 mph wind from West across 3 miles of frozen lake.  I can only see the 150 feet to the edge of the lakeshore, then total white-out.  Wondering if anyone has stories about being brave enough to have camped in these brutal conditions?
Personally I do not go out if I can avoid it and get back inside asap if I am out