BC snowshoe hike!

Gaurdian_A1

Gaurdian_A1

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Messages
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:DHey everyone, i have been a ghost here..i have been busy with work..no time to get out...hell, i havent been in the bush since christmas...until two weeks ago...i had enough of the big city and busy life, packed up the family, gear, guns and headed west to gods country. I was BC bound.

When i arrived i immediately set a day aside from seeing family and friends to go snowshoeing in the back country. I planned out my route, gave my prospected location to my grandfather (who is a very knowledgeable backwoodsman) so that he had the right information if i didnt show up or call late that night. I packed my provisions, knives, my shotgun and called my little sister to see if she wanted to head out with me..and of course, she was all for it.

Planning day...PWB Cariboo honey lager...yumm.
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Driving to location....

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My izzy in my mouth while driving...major health hazard, yes...but i am a total psychopath so whatever:D

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We parked on an old logging road that had not been plowed all winter..hardly any snowmobile tracks there either...good stuff..we hiked up into the cut block and found some wolf tracks..very cool...we shortly after headed up into the trees further into the woods.

me headed up the trail with my gear and my old snowshoes...11"X56"...the best ever..

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trekking through the trees

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it was an absolutely beautiful day...+ 7 all day...the snow was wet in spots, but in the shade it was still quite soft..the huge snowshoes definetly helped me out.

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more coming!:thumbup::D
 
The view from some of the spots we got to were amazing..i really needed this time out in the trees..

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We started to look for a nice spot to cook lunch and take a break..my sister was hungry and i wasnt to far behind...we both had nalgene bottle full of water..i cant explain how important it is to hydrate while out..even in winter.

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once we found a nice location next to a huge douglas fir in the area, we tramped down the snow in an effort to pack it down to make it easier to move around,chop firewood and prepair food....all was goign well until i decided that i didnt need my snowshoes anymore because it was packed down enough...WRONG. i sank up to my crotch and still didnt find the ground...i am smiling in the pic, but it hurt. LOL

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After dragging my ass back into my snowshoes i started prepping firewood, i chopped down and processed some large dry timper with the junglas....i cant explain how awesome a big knife is to hang along with you in the backwoods...i am sure we all feel the same...

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My little sister just got back from an overseas trip..she went to a 3rd world country and helped build housing and all that..i didnt want her to go, but i promised her i would buy her a brand knew knife, whatever she wanted, as lonog as she used her brain and came home safe....her knife of choice was the ESEE 4.

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base camp!

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more coming!!! be patient!!
 
My sister prepaired feathersticks while i chopped firewood and gathered kindling...my sister and I are very much alike...it was neat to see her look at me and tell me she would leave the world behind her to live a life of woodlore/bushcraft living...as she shaved feathersticks...she is 17 and would rather be out in the bush than the shopping mall..

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the A1

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We built a long log style fire...it worked well and threw lots of heat! perfect for the lunch we were about to cook...white tailed deer and canada goose with some good old fashioned beans and jalapeneo cheese...oh yeah, cant forget grandmas hand milled, home made whole wheat bread!

I was fully aware that either way, my fire was going to end up sinking into the snow without a sturdy wooden base,,even then it was only a matter of time...i built it this way...spruce boughs on the bottom, feathersticks,kindling....fire

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the next thing to do was prepair the meat and beans for cooking...we let the fire burn down a while to get a decent coal base, then started cooking.

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opening the beans with my leatherman..

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the meat was seasoned with a cajun spice which tasted awesome, this was one of the best meals ive had in a long time.

say CHEEEESE!!!!

SOOOO before anyone tells me i would like to point out the the A1 is not a good cheese cutting tool...i just couldnt resist though...
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more coming..
 
Dinner was served...what a meal! After 4 hours of snowshoeing in the back country, this was incredible.
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My Junglas is a user..

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I forgot to add this pic earlier, but this is how i kept the firewood dry..i stuck part of it in the snow and left is my the fire...the warm/wet conditions are hell on firewood...simply putting the firewood on spruce boughs would have worked well too, but whatever.

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Baked apple for desert!

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another view!

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i made a real quick lean to so we could sit down and take the snowshoes off for a while before me hiked out. very simple in design..easy to build and effective.

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After we rested up from a long hike in and a nice lunch, we packed up whatever garbage we had, took the lean to down, put the fire out and hiked down from the timber.

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hell, we even made coffee!!!!

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all the blades that came along.

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parting shot. We had a great time..we hiked about 12-13 km that day..it was epic...It was awesome to just have the time to find my soul again...we all get way to busy with work and other BS in life when what we really need to do is take a day for ourselves and head out into the trees..

i hope you all enjoyed my write up.

talk to you all soon

Gaurdian_A1

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Looks like a blast. What're the details on that belt/buttpack/dangly pouchthingy setup you've got going? And what were you loaded for with the shotgun?
 
loved the trip especially since you did'nt try to tuff it with sardines & crackers. i think it worth mentioning that snowshoeing is no walk in the park. for beginners it's a difficult workout. it's evident that yourself & your sister have certainly spent time in the big white. wonderful pics & i appreciate all the effort you guys put in to bring us so much joy.--dennis
 
a good thread, with wonderful pictures. The meal made me hungry!

I would have carried a handgun, and not the canon for a day hike though. I guess your being in Canada has something to do with that choice.

Never been on show shoes. Not much snow down here in Florida. :D
 
Dude, I love your backcountry pic fests. Get out there more, and thanks for taking us along!

JGON
 
Looks like an incredible time. Thanks for sharing.
 
nice pics! is that shotgun a mossberg 590a1 (ghost ring sight, heavy barrel)? looks exactly like mine except the speedfeed stock.
 
Very nice shots, winter is the best season up here....:) may I ask why the shotgun????
 
Where were the rest of the people to eat all that food, man that would have lasted me 3 days haha. good pics.
 
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