The Wild

I had a great time camping in the woods in the middle of the Canadian winter. There are only a few things that I could have done to make it more enjoyable, of which I shall compile a list for future reference.

1. Get an actual 4 season tent: having a double wall tent would be much warmer, and would have perhaps helped to keep some of the warmth in
2. Invest in some tent pegs that are meant for winter use
3. Get a winter sleeping bag (mummy bag). I combined a summer bag with an ultralight down quilt. Then I also wore long underwear, sweatpants, ski pants, a t-shirt, flannel, sweater and down jacket, 2 pair of socks, and some gloves, a neck warmer, and a toque. Still it was chilly.
4. Get some hand warmers to keep in the recommended mummy bag – preferably 2 pair for hand and feet.
5. Keep my water bottle in the mummy bag so my drinking water does not freeze at night
6. Never set up a tent in snowshoes
7. Never set up a tent at night
8. Never set up a tent at night in snow shoes, without proper winter tent pegs…
9. Always check the expiry date on your camping food. I did this at the end of the trip only to find that I had been eating food that expired in 2019. Luckily I had kept it frozen? Not recommended!

That is it. Less than 10 items seems reasonable.

All in all the trip was a great success. I went out, did what I intended, and managed to find some satisfaction in the fact that I improvised and made a difficult situation work. Would I do it again? Not a chance. That is the great thing about adventure though. When its all said and done I am fortunate enough to be able to come home to a nice warm house, and friends and family that I love. It was a very minor amount of discomfort, but it was enough to remind me of all the good things I have, and how hard I have worked to get to where I am. It was physically exhausting, but after a day or two of recovery, I felt completely reinvigorated.