[pct-l] Winter backpacking: any good books?

[ned at mountaineducation.org]

Steel-eye is correct, but what I want to point out is the reference to the 
"PCT Season."

There is a window of time when our High Sierra is entirely accessible to 
"summer" hiking conditions. The width of this window is the concern for any 
thru hiker, and that is what this subject is all about every year. The 
question is, "When do I start from the border to avoid dealing with snow in 
the Sierra?"

Our answer is equip yourself with the knowledge and skills to have fun in it 
and it won't matter if or when you run into snow.
A full quiver of prepared-for experiences is a good thing. If you become 
addicted to mountain travel and wandering, there will come a day when snow 
flies in your face.


"Just remember, Be Careful out there!"

Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
1106A Ski Run Blvd
South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
    C: 530-721-1551
    http://www.mountaineducation.org
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "CHUCK CHELIN" <steeleye at wildblue.net>
To: "Cosmic Cat" <cosmic.cat144 at gmail.com>
Cc: "Pct-l" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 2010 9:02 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Winter backpacking: any good books?


Good morning, Cosmic Cat,

I applaud your interest in snow travel/camping skills; I hope you find your
experience as rewarding as it has been for me over many years.



First, I need to say that PCT hiking – particularly in the Sierras -- is not
a winter snow experience any more than it’s an alpine mountaineering
experience.  Serious winter hiking/camping practitioners speak knowingly of
travel over fresh show, in sustained frigid temperatures, with the only
recourse being to camp on/in the snow while abiding the vary long nights in
the North Country.  In the Sierras during the PCT hiking season one is most
likely to hike over intermittent firm showpack, wearing shorts and a
tee-shirt – perhaps a windbreaker -- enjoying long days of bright sunlight.
Actually camping on PCT snowpack is rare and can usually be avoided.



The PCT in season won’t be particularly cold; possibly a bit below freezing
some of the nights.  That’s in contrast to serious winter camping where I’ve
slept out under the stars through nights where the glass dropped to -22 deg.
F.  New snowfall will also be fairly rare – possibly a few inches of fluffy
stuff overnight.



Some dawdlers or late-starters may encounter fresh snow and winter-like
conditions in the North Cascades, but that can usually be avoided.  Besides,
by then a hiker’s skills are greater and their fears are fewer.



Much of the first-rate winter travel and camping experience comes from the
19th and early 20th century fur trappers and traders in Canada, Alaska, and
to some extent the upper U.S. Midwest.  They didn’t just spend an odd
weekend in the snow; they lived out there the entire winter.  As a result
the books of that time most closely focus on trapping how-to, or are
interesting adventure tales of trappers or traders.  Much of their
technology and methods are out-of-date for us.  Who would spend a long night
in a tarp lean-to in front of a banked, reflector fire wrapped in a pair of
wool Hudson’s Bay blankets or an Indian rabbit fur robe?



Among reasonably current – 1968 – books on winter travel and camping I like
*Paradise Below Zero* by Calvin Rutstrum.



Merry Christmas,



Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09


On Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 7:50 PM, Cosmic Cat <cosmic.cat144 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I have always been intimidated by winter. But Ned's posts are helping me
> realize that the right gear and the right skills can make winter fun!
>
> So are there any good books on winter and snow travel? I would like
> something rich in both theory and practice,  sort of the 'Beyond
> Backpacking' of snow.
>
> Goodness
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