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SadieMBeagle
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Joined: 13 Oct 2008
Posts: 152 | TRs | Pics
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SadieMBeagle
Thread killa!
PostMon Mar 30, 2009 11:50 am 
Alternate title: If I had an iPhone I'd google 'how to camp in the snow' After a long winter spent snowboarding, lately I've been jonesing to get out in my tent. I wasn't sure how I was going to accomplish this, as I have a fear of camping in a snowfield (fear of the unknown, I suppose), plus the weather these last few weeks has been far more conducive to snowboarding than backpacking (i.e., huge quantities of powder dumps). I'd read a few TRs of Boulder River, plus it's in Best Hikes with Dogs: Western Washington, so it seemed like a safe bet. Now, when to go? Then Sunday dawned beautifully and I had my chance! Of course by the time I grabbed my gear from high and low, packed up the dog and made it to the trailhead, it was 4 p.m. Thank goodness for DST! Still, time to hit the trail. Someone obligingly cut a car-hole in the trees blocking the road, and I was able to drive all the way to the trailhead.
Subaru-sized hole
Subaru-sized hole
Sadie doesn't seem to mind the new pack
Sadie doesn't seem to mind the new pack
Flora
Flora
I wound my way up the trail through the sunny afternoon. There were only a few other people out, and none of them were staying the night. I stopped to chat with another woman with a dog. When she learned I was staying overnight, she said she'd been up a couple of miles, and while the snow was slippery in spots, I should be fine. Enthused, I pushed onward.
Beginning of the snow
Beginning of the snow
Towards the end of the trail - snow was deep
Towards the end of the trail - snow was deep
Alas, a couple miles up the trail turned out to be about as far as the nice trail conditions went. The further I continued, the snowier it got. What had been a fun tromp over some hard-crust snow became a scramble with a heavy backpack over snowdrifts and under logs, groveling through the mud in places. By 5:30 p.m. I figured I'd better take stock of the situation. I move at a pretty good clip in normal trail conditions, but I have no idea how quickly (or slowly) I move in the snow and consequently had no idea how much further it was to trail's end (though I think I was pretty close). Also, I figured that the campsite at the end would be covered in snow, and as I mentioned before I was not interested in tonight being my inaugural snow-camp. Reluctantly, I turned back and decided to set up camp at the first snow-free flat spot I could find. As I got closer and closer to the trailhead I wondered if I'd end up setting up the tent in the parking lot...which I decided was fine with me if nothing better came along. What is it about camping in a tent that excites me so? Happy childhood memories, I suppose. Thankfully the situation didn't come to that - I found a lovely campsite about .75 miles from the trailhead.
At the campsite - Sadie scopes out the perimeter
At the campsite - Sadie scopes out the perimeter
OMG, eyes!  Good thing it's just Sadie
OMG, eyes! Good thing it's just Sadie
After setting up the tent and "making" dinner out of a bag of freeze-dried food that's been in my stash for a few years (good thing those things last forever), I whiled the evening away reading and listening to the raging river nearby. Good times. After breakfast this morning and breaking down camp, I headed the small distance back to my car, satisfied at last. For this week anyway! More pictures

I'm bilingual - I speak English and smack
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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore



Joined: 15 May 2003
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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore
PostMon Mar 30, 2009 12:59 pm 
You put your pooch on a leash just for the photos, didn't you? tongue.gif

"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate." Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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SadieMBeagle
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Joined: 13 Oct 2008
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Location: On the flip side
SadieMBeagle
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PostMon Mar 30, 2009 1:09 pm 
Very funny :P You're correct, Sadie's usually off leash - she is a very well-behaved girl. But I didn't want her losing her fla$hy new pack, so I think she'll be spending more time on leash from now on.

I'm bilingual - I speak English and smack
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Hikingqueen
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Joined: 12 Nov 2007
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Hikingqueen
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PostMon Mar 30, 2009 3:31 pm 
Good to see someone cut a hole in the tree. You are brave, I'm not ready for camping yet. You did have a heater at least, your cute dog.

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Grizzy
Yellow Cedar Hugger



Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 1936 | TRs | Pics
Location: Switchbacks
Grizzy
Yellow Cedar Hugger
PostMon Mar 30, 2009 3:55 pm 
Nice job! up.gif

All the birds have flown up and gone; A lonely cloud floats leisurely by. We never tire of looking at each other - Only the mountain and I. ~Li Po~
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captain jack
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Joined: 25 May 2004
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captain jack
Serving suggestion
PostMon Mar 30, 2009 5:01 pm 
It's probably best that you didnt camp at the end of the trail this time of year, I'm pretty sure a Sasquatch lives upriver just past there, and he prolly would have eaten your doggie. paranoid.gif

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SadieMBeagle
Thread killa!



Joined: 13 Oct 2008
Posts: 152 | TRs | Pics
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SadieMBeagle
Thread killa!
PostMon Mar 30, 2009 5:52 pm 
Oh goodness, Sasquatch?! I thought that was a plane I heard... and yes Sadie sleeps in the sleeping bag with me. It's very warm, but things can get a bit snug... we might have to work on that in the coming months.

I'm bilingual - I speak English and smack
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