How to make a campsite/fire while snowshoeing in deep snow.

[savagesicslayer]

UPDATE!:
What a difference a storm makes.A decent sized storm blew in last night but with it came warmer temps.What started out as a snow storm quickly turned into a slush storm then just a straight rain storm.This means that the snow will be packed next time I go out.I'll post some more pics of how different it is to snowshoe in the wet packed snow as opposed to the fluff I slogged through last time.It also means there's a difference in how you make a campsite as well.

 

[savagesicslayer]

I got away late today (damn nightshift) so I missed the peak snow pack time of noon to mid afternoon.However I found that a hearty crust formed on the snow that made movement both easier and a pain.
Easier in the sense that I wasn't sinking nearly as bad as I was.....

the bad part? when you do sink the crust will trip you very fast.think of it as tripping with an 8 inch extra long foot unexpectedly.The toe of the snowshoe often dives beneath the crust and falls can occur.

Arriving at my destination I began to stomp down my spot.This place has special significance because this is where I camped for the first time in the winter many many moons ago.Stomping does 2 things it marks clearly where your going to stay and packs the spot so when you take off your snowshoe to start digging you can stand.Here I'm balancing on my normal boot in about a foot of snow.

My spot dug down I managed to find a dry small deadfall.I failed to mention that EVERYTHING is covered in ice.

I processed a bit of dry kindling and used the rest as a base along with an old log from my first trip in here.

I really love PJCB.Whoever thought them up is a freaking genius.A quick spark and I had fire.

It was getting dark and I decided to head for home.Just for "fun" I thought it would be fun to try it without my snowshoes on.Big mistake.I didn't get far and I was exhausted by the effort.

Thanks everyone.

 

[333rm]

Great pics and post! I first got introduced to artic/winter survival in the Boy Scouts by doing survival outings up into the Sierra's in the middle of winter. I don't at all envy all the snow you guys have gotten this year up there.

Today it was 71 and sunny here.

 

[JV3]

good stuff! i went snowshoe'ng last week after a rainstorm thinking the 2" layer of ice on top of 2 ft of snow will make it much easier...nope. on top of that the loud crunching sound every time i took a step got really annoying! every step sounded like i was stepping on doritos.

 

[Battle Creek Knives]

Nice pics! As a Mainer I can commiserate. We've gotten hammered with snow this winter.

we hardly ever get snow, but man this last storm that blew through nailed us good.. we're talking 3' snow drifts in my back yard in places, typically 12" throughout.. OK is not prepared for this madness is all I have to say..


OP, nice shoes.. I could have used those for sure, and I learned one thing this last week for sure, trekking in this stuff is exhausting.. !! especially since I don't have snow shoes..

 

[savagesicslayer]

It actually shocked me how hard it was to go anywhere without shoes.That pic of my leg deep in the snow was IN one of my snowshoe tracks.
@ thelastdaze.Thanks.they're about 4 years old now and getting pretty long in the tooth.The hardest part of getting snowshoes for me was getting shoes that can hold my weight.Most of the shoes out there are rated to 250 lbs.that's fine if I was going to snowshoe naked with no gear.These shoes are rated to well over 300 lbs and are perfect for me.i have snowshoed with HUGE packs of gear without problem.Here's a shot from a trip 2 years ago.I have my shoes on my back here because we're on a rare patch of rocky ground and the cleats on the bottom of my snowshoes don't like that.

Full gear plus a complete change of clothes water and food weigh a lot.Here's a shot from the same trip waiting to get going at our staging area.carrying EVERYTHING on my back.We had to hike for a while to get to where we started snowshoeing.