Burned a couple days of PTO to finally do a mid-week overnight in the snow. I think it’s safe to say that my goal of winter backpacking competency is still a little ways off.
Goals
- Reach Little Joe Lake and possibly the summit of Red Mountain (turned around)
Test out Crescent Moon’s snowshoe bootiesDetermine whether trail runners and snowshoes are a feasible combinationTry layering nitrile gloves over liner glovesSee whether shorts and baselayer bottoms hit the sweet spot of venting and insulationTest out the X-Mid in the snow on an overnightCheck out the holding power of REI’s snow stakes
Day 1
Starting from the familiar French Cabin Road trailhead I followed the road further into the backcountry than I’d gone before, winding my way along Thorp Creek. The crusty snow crunched and cracked under my snowshoes for the first thirty minutes until a groomer came along and freshened everything up. I’ve seen a similar grooming machine pulling out of my neighborhood, it’s possible that the driver lives just down the road from me.
In any case, at a fork in the road I turned north to cross the creek itself. Having scouted the route on my phone the night before I had apparently not zoomed in far enough to see that the road wasn’t maintained after the turnoff. Instead of a bridge I encountered an eight-foot vertical snow bank on the south side of the creek:
This was unexpected to say the least. Fortunately by following the bank east for a few hundred feet I was able to locate a snow bridge over a log dam and reconnect with the other side of the “road”.
The road on the other side was some sort of critter highway. It was littered by an absurd number of tracks, none of them human. I believe I saw prints for grouse, coyote, rabbit, and deer in just a short distance. Turns out animals don’t like walking through brush any more than we do. A short distance later I crossed the creek draining Little Joe Lake (stopping to fill up on water) and came to the end of the road. From here on a trail supposedly wound its way up to the creek but being buried under several feet snow the trail was completely invisible. So I decided I would just head straight up the slope.
This is when I discovered that I suck at snowshoeing. Oh sure, I’ve taken winter camping classes and gone on day trips but always on groomed roads or nice flat trails. We never covered ascending steep slopes. It turns out that snowshoes don’t have edging, meaning you can’t traverse slopes without putting an incredible amount of strain both on your ankles and the showshoe’s bindings. If you want to go sideways your best bet is to aim the shoes straight up or down the slope and sidestep. So, another hard (and stupid) lesson learned. Also, it feels a lot better to descend a steep slope by facing upslope and stepping backwards than vice versa. Or maybe this is just poor technique. Who knows. I’ll keep plugging away at it.
In any case, after realizing that “straight up” was going to take me to the ridge south of Red Mountain and not to the lake I tried traversing to little avail. Little Joe Lake measured only 0.8 straight-distance miles away and yet after a half hour of slogging it still didn’t register as being any closer. At this point I decided to give up and descend to the road so that I could find a suitable spot to camp for the night before it got too dark.
Day 2
The return day was uneventful. Even though the temperature in the morning was a degree or two above freezing it still felt incredibly chilly while I was warming up and breaking down camp. After negotiating the two water crossings successfully I found myself back at the road and was able to crunch my way back down to the car at a pace of around 2.8mph – not too shabby!
Gear
What Worked
The stars of the show were the Crescent Moon snowshoe booties. These are neoprene overboots specifically designed for snowshoeing in trail runners. Worn outside of my Oboz Aretes they kept my feet roasty toasty (but not too hot) over the course of the trip. I did note that snow would collect between the toes and the toe plate on my snoeshoe and that during periods of inactivity this contributed to my toes getting cold. Getting moving again warmed them right up but it’s probably worth being diligent about trying to keep this area snow-free. Wearing heavier socks would have probably helped as well.
The other thing that the booties did was provide sufficient padding on top of my toes that repeatedly lifting up the snowshoes didn’t cause any discomfort. I had been concerned that the mesh-and-TPU tops of the Aretes, being completely lacking in any kind of structure or padding, would’ve resulted in soreness in this area. Of course I can only speak to the comfort for the duration of this trip but I think a roughly 12-mile overnight is a good starting indicator.
The TSL Symbioz Hyperflex Adjust snowshoes were incredible. Great traction even on 30+ degree slush slopes (although I did do a little “skiing” on a sunny patch on the way down) and when I was being an idiot and trying to traverse in them the bindings held up despite all of the awkward weight being put on them. They were also insanely comfortable, I was able to walk completely normally and my feet didn’t feel the least bit sore even after 12 miles. I had lost faith in snowshoes but the TSLs have restored it.
Love the SnowClaw snow shovel. Not only did it save me from a miserable night of sliding around on the snow (see below) but when I wanted to dig out a kitchen seat or flatten an area it did the job without any fuss. Brilliant product.
This was my first time trying out a new layering system: Prana Stretch Zion shorts over SmartWool Merino 150 long underwear. The Zion pants were just too warm for the amount of heat you put out while snowshoeing so I needed something more breathable and this worked like a charm. In fact, initially I was hesitant to go out too far in case the system wound up being too cold but I can now confidently say that it kept me warm down to 34F in 20mph gusts of wind while moving. In fact, even while standing around at camp I don’t recall my legs getting the least bit cold. Now it’s got me thinking that maybe I should try out a shorts-and-tights system for non-winter use. Stay tuned!
Dish gloves over liner gloves: it works! Even while submerging my hand into an ice-laden stream to gather water my hands were completely comfortable. When my hands got too warm while moving I simply stuffed them into my pockets. For less than $7 a pair Tusko Products nitrile gloves yield incredible results.
DexShells knock it out of the park as “camp shoes” or morning warm-up socks. Love ’em!
Stoic baselayer top was outrageously comfortable as always. When the wind got particularly gusty I had to throw on my Massdrop Veil wind shirt to stay toasty but that only happened two or three times. I should probably order the bottoms while they’re still available.
After experiencing clammy feet on a previous trip I swapped out my Oboz thermal insoles for the stock Oboz Arete insoles. Lo and behold, no more clammy feet! I was concerned that the bottoms of my feet might get cold but this turned out to be unfounded.
The Columbia Omni-Heat Touch liner gloves were a hit yet again. Even when I accidentally got snow on them I was able to quickly brush it off before they got too damp and cold.
The Sierra Designs Elite Cagoule is just as good in the snow as it is in the rain. Layered over my Ghost Whisperer it kept me nice and warm in the morning as well.
The Zpacks foam sit pad was indispensable. It kept my butt dry and warm while sitting on snow waiting for water to boil or food to cook. I also used it to stand on, my trail runners weren’t providing enough insulation on their own to keep the bottoms of my feet warm in camp but standing on the pad did the trick.
What Didn’t
Instead of the X-Mid’s inner I decided I would use a piece of polycryo instead. This was a terrible idea. The polycryo was so slippery on the snow that just sitting up on my sleeping pad would cause it to slide a foot or two. I ended up using my SnowClaw snow shovel not only to dig out a trench for my sleeping pad to lay in but I also placed it in the snow at my feet to act as a sort of backstop. This prevented the end of my pad from sliding out under the edge of the tent but it didn’t put an end to the internal sliding. It was a rough night. In hindsight I don’t know if I should have dug a trench before I set up the tent (seems obnoxious) or if I just needed to pick a flatter spot (it was the flattest one around as far as I could tell). The other thing that’s obnoxious about a giant clear piece of plastic is that it’s hard to tell where it is (or isn’t), especially in dim light.
My face got cold at night. Again. It only dropped down to 33F but I still found myself breathing into my quilts in order to warm my face up which is a moisture management no-no.
The Sierra Designs Nitro Quilt is comfort-rated to 32F which means I get chilly around 38F. However, layering the Enlightened Equipment Revelation 40F over the top left me far too warm at the nightly low of 33F. I compromised by only putting the Revelation over my legs and wearing my Ghost Whisperer up top with the zipper undone.
The X-Mid’s bottom perimeter tie out loops were just a hair too small to fit REI’s snow stakes so I had to retie them all. Fortunately I had the foresight to test this out at home the weekend before instead of having to do it mid-trip. What I did notice on the trip, however, was that it’s a pain to tighten up the system with gloves on when the little stopper knot has been pulled all the way up to the tensioner. Solution: tie a second stopper knot (most likely an overhand) an inch or so above the one on the end so that the end knot is always exposed and grippable. Also, I tried this same technique out on the cord leash I made for my camera (a cord with a bowline on the end where the bowline knot’s loop wraps around the cord, allowing it to cinch down) and this definitely helped keep the loop open instead of collapsing on itself. I plan on adding this extra stopper knot everywhere from now on.
The REI snow stakes did a lousy job of holding in the snow when planted at more vertical angles – pulling on the line would cause the stake to easily slide right out of the hole. However, this snow had been sitting in the sun for hours and was really a layer of slush so it’s hard to fault the stakes. In any case what worked was to plant the stakes at a more acute angle (more like 45 degrees off the ground) and then stomp them down to pack the snow. On a few I actually ended up piling handfuls of snow on top of the stake and then stomping that down as well. I didn’t have any more issues with stakes pulling up after that. Of course, this is why you’re supposed to bury snow stakes but I don’t believe the cords on the X-Mid were long enough for that.
Unlike the rest of the world I don’t like the way wool feels next to my skin compared to synthetics. Maybe it’s just because my pair of SmartWool bottoms is almost two years old but that doesn’t seem like a long enough time for them to degrade. Or maybe it’s just because I have hairy legs. In any case I think it’s probably worth picking up a pair of synthetics for comparison’s sake.
For some reason I never end up wearing my Charter Escape hat on cold-weather trips. I know I should since it helps keep the sun away but once I’ve got my beanie on I tend not to put the hat over it. Hmm…
Vaseline Lip Therapy was great as lip balm but the tube it came in had a pinhole opening which made it a pain in the ass to get enough out. I think this is a candidate for repackaging in one of Litesmith’s mini jars.
What’s Next
Next time I take out the X-Mid in the snow I’m going to bring the inner and see how that compares to the polycryo. However, it also got me thinking: I picked up the X-Mid for use as a four-season shelter without really giving the Lunar Solo a chance in the snow. In hindsight, having read multiple stories of the Lunar Solo surviving nights with up to two feet of snowfall I’m wondering if I jumped the gun. I know it’s not some alpine expedition shelter but for the kinds of basic winter trips I’m doing I think it might be just fine. Only one way to find out! The low pitch required to block out sideways snow does leave me concerned since the X-Mid pitches right against the ground by default.
I’m most likely going to pick up a merino blend Buff and see if that helps with the cold face thing at night. Person B pulled hers completely over her face when it dipped into the 20Fs on the AT so there’s one data point.
A thought occurred to me as I was rolling up my Thinlight: would it still provide adequate sliding and puncture protection if I trimmed it down a bit? Most of my weight is on the upper half so the bottom doesn’t seem like it’s super necessary.
Shorts and tights: could this be my final form? Or could it be a disaster on par with hiking in sandals? I’m hoping to have an answer in the next few months (or even weeks), ideally in a new pair of synthetic bottoms.
Food
- Backpacker’s Pantry Beef Stroganoff was a huge hit. Wouldn’t change a thing. Well, ok, maybe a dash of Tabasco…
- The Mountain House Breakfast Skillet fell flat. It was surprisingly flavorless and the consistency was of mushy hashbrowns. A little Secret Aardvark would probably have gone a long way here.
- The Alpine Aire Cinnamon Apple Crisp was divine. I could eat this for days.
- I always thought Pop Tarts were just a thru-hiker meme but the hype is real. Crumbly, though, so they need to be handled with care.
- I’ve taken the Alpine Aire Chocolate Banana Smoothie Mix on my last four or five trips and have never ended up making it, this trip included. And so out of frustration I just made it in the kitchen when I got home. Verdict: gross. It clumped up and became a brown watery mess full of what looked like waterlogged Rice Krispies. Sad, because I was so looking forward to having drinkable chocolate on the trail.
- DeDe Thai Instant Tea continues its reign as the undisputed champion of hot beverage mixes. Amazing.
- Nutri Grain Breakfast Bars are a great way to get a little bit of fruit and fiber in your outdoor diet but like the Pop Tarts they suffer from crumbliness.
- Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bars are a non-crumbly way to get dried fruit in a convenient bar form. Although, Fruit Roll-Ups might be a more cost-effective option…
Route
Gaia folder:
https://www.gaiagps.com/public/mNU8sr0vJO8eVgixH4c4s9Lj
In hindsight, given the difficulty of traversing steep slopes in snowshoes I think on a future trip to the same destination I’d attempt to follow the ridge north of my campsite to the northwest. This eventually hits a pass and an east-west trail which drops right down to Little Joe Lake.
Photography
SmugMug gallery:
https://turigrinos.smugmug.com/Adventures/2020/Thorp-Creek
Unfortunately, not much to say here. The on-and-off snow meant I had to keep the camera put away most of the time, and it also meant that there usually wasn’t much to look at anyway. I only came away with 4 shots that I liked but they were more documentary than anything special to look at.