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ARE YOU NUTS!!!!!??????

This is one of the most common responses that I receive when I mention camping, in the winter. To me, camping is more than a summer sport. It's a test of ones own endurance and skul. Besides, it's a good excuse to get out of the house.

During the:first week of February it had been snowing and blowing, so we made plans for a camp-out that weekend. On Saturday the wind died down and the temperature soared into the 20's. After work, I raced home to cohect my camping gear and some food. After an agonizing wait, John showed up and we headed for our camp which is about a mile and a half back into the woods. Struggling through waist deep snow with heavily laden back packs and sleds, we arrived at camp in time to see the sun go down. Suddenly, John was bitten by the bowling bug and left me standing there, in the middle of the cold dark woods with no tent. Now, this is where skill, training, reading a lot of outdoor articles, a great imagination, and not wanting to freeze to death come into play. For a shelter, I cut twelve poles about twelve feet in length and tied the ends together. I then stood the poles on end and spread them out to form a teepee. For the outside, we draped a coupe of tarps, leaving a hole at the top and a flap at the bottom for a door. In the center we have a five gallon metal pail with two large holes cut out of the sides at the bottom. In the pail you can build a small fire, feeding it slowly to keep flames with little smoke. For ventilation, you open or close the door flap as needed. On top of the pail we put a piece of grate on which we did our cooking. Being the first time we ever tried camping like this, we were both impressed with the results.

Later when John had finished bowling, he came back out to camp, by himself, through the deep dark lonely woods, danger lurking behind every tree. As he approached camp, he was met with an eerie blue glow. Thinking that aliens had landed and had taken me hostage, he stealthily tip-towed closer only to find me in my teepee frying up some venison stakes. After eating, he went out to collect some more fire wood, supposedly leaving me behind, snug and warm, to tend the fire. Instead, I quietly crept out and took up a position along the trail to await his return. Seconds turned into minutes. Moments later John burst into fits of mirth 'cause he had been behind a tree a few feet away watching me.

The night passed uneventfully despite the wind picking up and threatening to rip our shelter to shreds. Thankfully it never got past the threatening stage. We had planned to return home that morning but the raging storm kept us pinned down until that afternoon. As you can see, winter camping can be fun as long as you are prepared.

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