campsite pics..lets see um
- Thread starter beerhiker
- Start date
cruisertoy
Explorer
Goblin camp
I've camped there before. Kids had a great time running around the rocks while i set up camp.
My scouts are down in Goblin as we speak. Wish I could have gone, but I've spent 3 of the last 6 weekends in Moab and needed to get some stuff done today.
john101477
Photographer in the Wild
Hasty shelter while on the trail
Treeline survival shelter
High Arctic survival shelter (Quinze)
Dude you have been in some serious stuff. Both shelters look like they would take a long time. I was taught how to build a snow shelter on a side hill but never on flat ground and while they do share the same logic I can not imagine trying to scrape up that much snow to do it on flat ground.
john101477
Photographer in the Wild
Here is a picture during a packing trip. not really of our camp but our camp was on our backs. This was the last few miles of a 25 mile hike. every one was taking pictures of a bear and cub. to bad they none of them had decent zoom capabilities. It really made an awesome ending to the hike.
the one with the tent is of my wife and I during a hunting trip on the west side of the sacramento valley. hope to get better images this month.
the one with the tent is of my wife and I during a hunting trip on the west side of the sacramento valley. hope to get better images this month.
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skysix
Adventurer
The snow shelter takes (overall) more time but the actual WORKING time is less - and it is a lot warmer / uses less to heat. In the high arctic the winds pack the snow well so you can (attempt to) build an Igloo. Further south and in treed areas it usually doesn't get packed enough to cut into structurally useable blocks. Use the "settling" periods to build your signals etc or to rest in a hasty snow trench (if deep enough) shelter / windbreak behind a low snowpile wall. The leanto takes a lot more physical effort and time as well as a plentiful supply of firewood. Avoid axes - break the trees and branches manually and use saw for fine tuning. Key is a good long fire (same length as shelter). A 12' by 12' piece of 0.5 mil poly (painters plastic sheet) and a couple of space blankets can dramatically improve wind resistance and warmth. Once a basic frame and some roof trusses (?) are done lay reflectors on top then plastic sheet so it hangs over the front rail to the ground and meets the ground in the rear. Gather ends to stop wind entry. Then place normal amount of roof materials - don't skimp thinking plastic will do the job - it can tear and the extra wood provides a thermal mass. Also build a thick reflector wall against sturdy uprights on other side of fire - will allow wood removal as it dries from the front of the reflector and into the fire itself. Also don't skimp on the sleeping platform (8-12" high) and boughs. I've used one at -40 and didn't crawl into my sleeping bag until 0300 - was not cold enough to need it. The plastic drape in the front helps keep heated air inside - just don't overdo it on the fire (make it a good long pace away - about 3')
For flat-surface powder snow shelters pick a spot near a deepish area of snow then shovel it into a pile about your height (say 6') and twice that in diameter. Move more snow in from nearby. Can use the bag from your sleeping bag placed over the curved end of your snowshoes (draw string tight to keep in place) as a shovel if you don't have one. Best with 12" or so (or more) of powder on the ground. Let stand 8 hours or more. Repeat the shoveling as you move entire pile to a spot next to it (the shoveling and replacing into a new pile breaks the outer segments off all the snow crystals so it 'sets' closer together - simulating what the wind does as it blows snow across many miles of tundra). Let sit 8 hours. Return pile to original spot - it will now be smaller (likely about 9' dia. and 4.5' high) and denser. Place some twigs about 6-8" into the pile all around at several heights. Carve out the interior and pile next to the shelter. When you see the ends of the sticks you are close enough to the outer surface without breaking through. Best to dig upwards after inwards so you can leave a sleeping shelf and have a cold well by the door. When happy with result exit and use the excavated snow to build the entrance dome. Carve a tunnel through into the cold well. Throw any excavated snow back on the main shelter. Add a single 8 hour survival candle for light/heat - good to raise temp from -40 at the cold well to almost freezing or even slightly higher at the roof. DON'T seal the entrance - just have it extend out so the wind doesn't enter. You need some air exchange! You can always place small pile or blocks (if any exist) or a pack etc across it - just leave several inches open at the top. For about 2-3 days the structure will 'breathe' until an ice layer builds up on the interior from your exhaled breath moisture (faster if heat is high) and SOMETIMES you can scrape another 1-2" out of the inside and get a few more days - depends on how accurate your initial excavation was...
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john101477
Photographer in the Wild
Sexy6Chick
Adventurer
Looks like a great setup Joe, nice shot! I'm so bummed we aren't there.
LexusAllTerrain
Expedition Leader
My wife wanted to try Lake Patagonia, too crowded for my taste, I prefer primitive camping!
El Golfo the Mexico
El Golfo the Mexico
Every Miles A Memory
Expedition Leader
You let her our of the crate and look what she does, gets onto your camp chair right away!!!! Sorry, I couldnt resist
