Our second winter camping trip took place just after Thanksgiving. It was the weekend of my birthday and our intention was to have fun playing in the woods with an easy three day trip. We stuck close to home since we were still learning the tricks to cold weather camping and the weather remained comfortable with temperatures above 0°F for the entirety of our weekend.
We left our cabin the first morning under a sky still speckled with stars and only the faintest hint of changing from the black of night to the steely gray of the first light of day. The dull moon still hung low in the sky as we slid our way across a windy path through the dense spruce forest. We crossed the first of several small frozen lakes as the sky was warming and stopped to enjoy the streaks of red, orange and pink that painted the horizon. Our tracks were the only marks on the smooth white surface of the lake.
We reached our intended destination in the early afternoon and decided to explore the nearby hill for a campsite that might offer us views of the sweeping valley and giant Wrangell mountain peaks in the distance. Travel became much more difficult the moment we left the flat terrain of the lake and began to make our way across the powder covered bushes as we climbed. We removed our skis as the incline increased and began to work our way uphill in our boots. I immediately began to regret the weight of the load I had packed into my ski pulk. Sure a case of beer, a bottle of vodka, games, books and plenty of yummy foods would all be enjoyed on our celebratory weekend, but I was really struggling to haul the heavily laden sled that was attached to my hips. I yanked and pulled with all of my might, groaning and cursing my way uphill barely able to move with each step. When I had finally tugged my way to the top I was exhausted and frustrated beyond belief. My mood had changed quickly, but I realized my anger probably stemmed from the fact that it was lunchtime and I had yet to eat anything that day. I took a deep breath and unhooked the harness to my pulk so we could more easily explore the trees for a good place to set up camp.
We found the perfect clearing at the very top of the mountain, returned for our gear and set up our tent. Goose then worked on making us a campfire while I worked on getting us some food. We created a nest of spruce branches for Shilo dog to curl up in and also piled up additional branches under our feet to help insulate from the cold that inevitably began to sink in as we sat around the fire. We enjoyed turkey sandwiches from our leftover Thanksgiving dinner and a couple of beers as the crackle of the fire played background music and the early setting sun illuminated the amazing mountains in the distance. I then went to our tent to set up our beds and take a quick nap while Goose skied back to our cabin to drop off Shilo for the night. We were planning on visiting a friend's cabin on the lake that night and their dogs did not like other canine visitors so Shilo would have to stay at home and we would return for her the following day.
About an hour later I met Goose on the lake below and together we made our way across Cameron Cove in search of our friends place. The ice cracked and moaned under our skis and although I knew these were good noises of the lake freezing it still freaked me out at times to feel the rumble underneath. After about an hour we found a large beautiful cabin whose glow illuminated the shoreline and knew this must be the place we were looking for. Once inside we stripped off our many layers of clothing and joined the house full of people for an amazing dinner of Alaskan crab, moose steaks, smoked salmon and chocolate birthday cake with plenty of beer to wash it all down. As midnight approached we hitched a ride on a snow machine about 1/2 way back and then took a 30 min. ski by headlamp to our camp in the trees. We happily slid into our puffy down sleeping bags and snuggled in for the night.
We woke late the following morning and unzipped our nylon door to find a world covered in a thick layer of shimmering ice. The air was heavy with frozen moisture and a thick fog blocked the beautiful views that we had enjoyed the previous day. We packed up camp and quietly skied to our next destination. We made our way to a small island with just enough time to set up our tent before the sun sunk behind the hills. I then grabbed a few more layers, turned on my headlamp, strapped my skis back on and made my way to our cabin to pick up Shilo dog. We returned about an hour later to find the ski pulks unpacked and our beds ready for us. We got cozy in the tent and made a delicious dinner of curry chicken and noodles. We spent the evening talking and sharing a bottle of hot tea before we drifted off to sleep in our bed of feathers.
This weekend of winter camping was so much more comfortable than our first trip had been. The combination of warmer weather and a mid trip visit to a cabin made it hardly seem as if we were winter camping in Alaska at all. We did learn a few new things such as, you can pretty much carry any food that could be stored in a freezer which opens up so many more dinner possibilities in the backcountry, and always cover any gear stored outside as you never know what weather you will wake to the next morning. I was also reminded of something I already knew very well from backpacking, just because it can fit in your pulk doesn't mean you should pack it. While we will continue to learn on each of trips, this trip was much more about enjoying the outdoors; breathing the cold fresh air scented by the evergreen trees, stretching our bodies until our muscles ached, and playing in the place that I enjoy more than anywhere else, in the wilderness. Home is where the tent is.
