New York Woods Overnighter-Harriman 2-“The Morgue”

[bearthedog]

Back from another winter trip with Jay (JV3) and James (MountainMistWanderer). We had it all, wind, snow, rain, and more snow! I’m hoping Jay or James will come along with information on the temperatures. Great finally meeting some of the East Coast members.



We had…

The period correct guy



Tactical Hiker



Egyptian Nomad





Old school woodcraft and the more modern approach




James had this cool ESEE 3




Jay got a new toy (not period correct)



Tactical Hiker used this shelter for the snow and predicted freezing rain



The Egyptian Nomad used a small Integral Design 5x7 tarp





Period Correct guy started work on his bed




He made what I would soon call the ICEBED in an area of the camp I call “The Morgue”



This was the theme of the night—snow!







Period Correct guy graced us with stories of graves nearby and when I snapped this shot. I think I captured one trying to get into Jay





Period correct steak




The Egyptian preferred a kabob















Frozen sheath



There was a lot of warming of the axe near the embers



Traditional vs. Modern



Egyptian Nomad Tools



Period Correct guy packing up









Two different worlds collide






Orange Top Diner

 

[JV3]

awesome write-up, rb! big fire and tons of food...my only complaint is between us two there never seems to be enough booze! i was sober when i went to bed damnit, haha.

i'm sorting my pics now.

 

[JV3]

nice to see this stream running again...it was a trickle late last year and was completely dry most of this year.

timber!

i had an easy shelter to set up so i got done fast. i knew it'll be awhile before the camp fire was up and running so i went ahead and boiled water for my freeze-dried meal.

my kifaru supertarp with annex...just after lunch i check on it and the snow was piling up fast (the heaviest wasn't until midnight) so i ended up adding more tie-out lines (3 on each side) to shed it better.

around 11 pm it was hovering around 17° f (with wind chill factored in it was 8° f)...and it was a steady 20-25 mph wind now and at times the snow was near horizontal...perfect camping weather

the secret to winter camping comfort: sit close to the fire or keep moving!

with the howling wind, at times it felt like a game of musical chairs...you had to get up and find a new spot that was smoke-free every few minutes.

rb made a quick pile of leaves next to the fire and using a split log as a pillow, took about an hour nap right there.

post overnighter lunch...good times! thanks rb for picking up the tab

 

[sasha]

that's a great trip boys.. What I want to know how James spend the night?? how cold he was and pics...

 

[zpstl321]

So...I want to know which one was more comfortable? What was involved in the sleep system with traditional guy?

Thanks.

 

[Ak Stig]

Great story and photos! Looks like you guys had a good trip. Thanks for sharing.

 

[JV3]

thanks guys...here's pics from james aka period correct guy:

It was great to meet Reuben and another awesome trip like always when being with Jay. Reuben is a amazing person filled with so much knowledge and skills of the outdoors.....

.......Learned several things from him and I hope to learn more down the road.
How about some more comparisons.

I wasn't trying to be 100% period correct but just trying to have a kit that would be in line with a frontiersman. I also wanted to experiment with the power of wool. The main test would be sleeping with two wool blankets on a raised bed.

This would be come to be known as the ice bed. To give a full test no cover would be used. The end result as for how good two wool blankets would work was not good. I would wrap myself like a cocoon in the first and have the second lay over like a shield.
I would fail miserably and only get two hours of sleep. I came into this trip with a slight cold and now I am sick.
After two hours of sleep......

But with a warm fire......

the rising sun.....

and a cup of hot joe......

I would start to feel better.......

I'm not done with this kit. Just need some tweaking.
But how about some more pics......

got turkey?.......how many can you find?.........

Our water source.....and more...

Once again it was a pleasure to meet you Reuben and as always Jay is a great person to camp with.

Thanks..

 

[HornyToad]

Great pictures. Makes me cold just looking at them.. It is 45 deg here, bright sunshine and no wind, and it is too cold for me to go out.

 

[tman038]

great thread. thanks for sharing. looks like it was a very cold and very good time.

 

[KuRUpTD]

That's hardcore guys, looks like a blast except for the snow and freezing temps

What type of wool blankets did you use and why was it a "fail" ?

 

[Hammer67]

....It is 45 deg here, bright sunshine and no wind, and it is too cold for me to go out.

What?!? It won't get up to 40F here for another 3 or 4 months! Get out there soldier!

 

[jbob24]

Great story (and pictures) guys! I'm never disappointed when I check out a bearthedog thread or a JV3 thread; two for one!

 

[JV3]

Great pictures. Makes me cold just looking at them.. It is 45 deg here, bright sunshine and no wind, and it is too cold for me to go out.

thanks! just layer up, drink lots of hot liquid and chop wood...that should keep you warm for starters. maker's mark helps a lot too

great thread. thanks for sharing. looks like it was a very cold and very good time.

thanks! with good friends like them time goes by quickly and next thing you know it's already late the next day and time to pack up and go home so it's not too bad with the cold.

That's hardcore guys, looks like a blast except for the snow and freezing temps

What type of wool blankets did you use and why was it a "fail" ?

you know you're welcome to our camp outs anytime, right?

james/period correct guy used a canteenshop.com 90% wool/10% other blanket. i forgot what the smaller blanket is made of exactly. he didn't have a waterproof/rain shell and his wool coat inevitably melted the snow that landed on it while he was standing near the fire for hours. it didn't have enough fire time to dry and then at some point during the night it started to change over to rain/sleet and soaked the wool blankets...worst case scenario basically for an all-wool setup. he'll tweak it and keep experimenting

Great story (and pictures) guys! I'm never disappointed when I check out a bearthedog thread or a JV3 thread; two for one!

thanks! glad you like our threads

 

[KuRUpTD]

you know you're welcome to our camp outs anytime, right?

No doubt ... maybe when it gets a little warmer

 

[scruffuk]

Brrr...period correct guy got the worst weather. Glad he didn't suffer too much though.

Thanks for taking the time to take soem snaps :thumbup:

 

[fishface5]

very cool! But back in the day I think frontiersmen would use a lean-to if they were getting snow

 

[Sufler]

That was neat to look at with the smartly captions. Thanks for posting.

 

[JV3]

Brrr...period correct guy got the worst weather. Glad he didn't suffer too much though.

Thanks for taking the time to take soem snaps :thumbup:

you're welcome!

very cool! But back in the day I think frontiersmen would use a lean-to if they were getting snow

thanks! no doubt - a lean-to next to the big fire we already have anyway but i think he just wanted to show rb how hardcore he his

That was neat to look at with the smartly captions. Thanks for posting.

you're welcome!

 

[trailbum]

Looks like a great time.

 

[neeman]

Looks like you had a fun time
Good company