Hogan Cabin in Montana backcountry.

By Kim Bates

Photography: Kim Bates and courtesy of Creative Commons

Are you ready to get away–far away–from the stresses of the modern world?  If so, step back in time and journey to Hogan Cabin in Wisdom, MT.  Far off the beaten track, this one-room log cabin provides primitive shelter for outdoor enthusiasts who desire a rustic home base for recreation.

Hogan Cabin can be accessed from Highway 43, 25 miles west of Wisdom, Montana by three different access routes.  We traveled to the cabin on our way home from visiting relatives in Hamilton, Montana, at the end of August, and used Trail Creek Road #106.

Trail Creek Road is six miles of flat dirt road that meanders through wild flower covered meadows, brief wooded copses and past wide vistas that showcase the true beauty of the Montana wilderness.  Though at summer’s end we were able to drive directly in, be ready to snowmobile or cross country ski to the cabin in the winter months.

Another possible route to the cabin, Shoofly Trail #101B, begins at the Highway 43 chain-up parking lot at

Interior of Hogan Cabin with wood stove and basic cooking hardware.

Richardson Creek, and is the shortest, but the most strenuous route.  It is not recommended for use in heavy snow by inexperienced skiers.

Wands, or snow markers, lead the way in the snow, and blue diamonds in the wooded areas.  Due to the difficulty of this trail, it is not the route of choice for snowmobiles. Chief Joseph Nordic Ski Trails is the third possible trail-head shared by snowmobiles and skiers.  All three accesses and trails are explained in detail on the Recreation.gov website.

We could see Hogan Cabin in the distance as we rounded bends in the road.  Nestled in a far off meadow, its slanted roof peeks out inviting you to head further into the wilderness, and further away from civilization. I started feeling like Laura Ingalls, heading home after a day in town.

Hoping to have the area to ourselves, we were a little disappointed to see two motor homes parked in the meadow right outside the split rail fence that welcomes you to the cabin.  Off the beaten path, but apparently not entirely exclusive!  The nice thing is, you can head in and close the wood gate behind you.  The other visitors were friendly though, so we got over it quickly, and headed down the drive to check out the digs.

The cabin was built in the 1920’s and originally served as field quarters for state and federal forest workers and fire crews. Charmingly rustic, this cabin is one room, and does not have any electricity or running water.  Watch your head as you pass the threshold of the door—the roof line is low.  Upon entering you will see four bunk beds to your right and a wood stove to your left.  There is a very small table, chairs, and a propane stove.

Firewood is stocked along with essential supplies.

Amenities provided for you are firewood (there is also a barn stocked with firewood behind the cabin, in case you find yourself needing more), pots and pans, wooden bunk beds with pads, a shovel, ax, a lantern, bucket, and dishes.

You are responsible for packing in your own propane canister, bedding, food and toilet paper, and any other necessities, such as matches, garbage bags, or flashlights. Come prepared.  Staying here is one small step away from camping!  These are rugged accommodations—the toilet is in an outhouse, so be prepared to bundle up for midnight runs in the snowy months!

Outside the cabin is a fire pit surrounded by benches, perfect for roasting hot dogs, or marshmallows, and telling campfire stories late into the starry nights.  We enjoyed sitting outside the cabin, listening to the wind blow through the pines, reading the log entries from previous visitors to the cabin, while the kids splashed and played at the little creek that passes about a hundred yards from the site.

Later we hiked through the tall grasses, loosely following one of the trails, surrounded by clouds of white butterflies which my son gleefully caught and released.  We kept our eyes open for wildlife, but only encountered insects and frogs in the marshy grasses. Keep your eyes open and you may spot deer, bear, moose, or other wildlife.

Hogan Cabin is a charming retreat, a respite for relaxing and connecting with nature, and a simpler way of life.  Visit in the summer and enjoy hiking the lovely meadows, or trek out in the winter months and bring all of your snow toys, ready for adventure and exercise in the great outdoors.  Play in the snow all day, then hunker down in the little one-room cabin warmed by the wood stove and good company, as the snowflakes fall fast outside the window.

Hogan Cabin

Post Office Box 238

Wisdom, MT 59761

GPS Info. (Latitude, Longitude):  45.71306, -113.88

Latitude:  45, 42, 47.65 N Longitude:  113, 52, 48.56 W

25 miles west of Wisdom, Mt. on Hwy 43

Rental fee:  $25 per night, up to 3 consecutive nights.  Cabin can only be reserved up to 180 days in advance.

For more information, call The Wisdom Ranger District at (406) 689-3243 or visit:

http://www.recreation.gov

When doing your research on selecting a new sleeping bag, you’ve got to ask yourself a few questions before you make your decision. In this case selecting the right sleeping bag has a lot to do about your own likes, dislikes, comfort level and how you are going to use it.  In this article, we’ll try to give you the theoretical and practical information to form your questions and guide you to make the right selection.

As with any personal gear, this is a subjective topic where there are a few things you can consider to aid you in achieving a good result. Right off the bat, our contention is to own more than one sleeping bag to cover warm-weather and cold weather activities. But owning several bags for different purposes isn’t always quite in the budget. Since many of us will be heading out camping and backpacking this summer, we’re going to focus on warm weather options that are available with goose down fillings, and rated for 40-degree temperature levels; as these are a popular choice. Nevertheless, as your understanding of the methods used for sleeping bag insulation and warmth increases, you’ll see how you can apply your understanding of these principles to Fall and Winter activities as well.

Most down-filled sleeping bags in this comfort range will compress to about 10-inches in diameter and 15-inches in length when stuffed into a little travel-sack, and weigh a tad more than a pound. That’s perfect for mountaineering and backpacking, but it’s also great for saving space when car camping, horse-pack-trips, cross-country bicycling, dual-sport motorcycling, and trekking via air travel. This particular type of sleeping bag will most likely be priced between $150 and $300 dollars depending on the manufacturer and quality you choose.

Down makes for a popular insulation that has been used for decades

What’s the value proposition for a down-filled product? Consider this: sleeping bags, parkas, and pants filled with high-grade goose down are insulation products that can become heirlooms, as they are capable of lasting long enough to include in your living will. So whatever you decide to pay for a good sleeping bag, the value is hard to beat.

In addition to light-weight, down-filled gear also has a broader comfort range than other types of insulation. Down sleeping bags, as with other down-filled clothing, the loft (or puffiness) and the air that is trapped between the down feathers and the baffles (compartments) are what provides insulation and warmth in concert with your body heat. You can consider fleece and synthetic-insulated sleeping bags.   Both of which have some great qualities, like softness, warmth, and easy to clean.  Synthetic-filled sleeping bags still provide warmth, even when wet. But down has no weight or size penalties. 

On the other hand, down tends to lose insulation value when wet. It dries quick, but that’s a drag when the sun has no plans for shining bright for three days. Moisture can come from wet snow, rain, condensation inside a tent, sweat, or sleeping outside in dense overnight fog.   So there are several factors to consider in selecting how you are going to stay comfortable sleeping under the stars, and staying warm on your adventures.

Climates you frequent

Do you intend to spend your trip in, an alpine or desert climate? Consider the climate conditions of the areas you want to explore.  You can get a good sense of your target playground by asking questions, drawing from personal knowledge, or online research. The U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management websites may prove valuable in getting good information. Even if this will be your first year planning an outdoor lifestyle use the internet, to find resources to understand the climate zone you intend to frequent.

As an example, on the Appalachian Trail in the Southeast U.S., elevation induced temperatures may not be a huge factor, but nights can get chilly and damp. Out on the West Coast the Sierra Nevada Mountains, high and low deserts, the coastal ranges, and the Cascade Mountains, along with several other mountain ranges can vary in temperatues during the season. Each mountain region, where ever it may be, has its own weather system that needs to be investigated.  Shoot to build yourself a summary of your chosen geographic region where you plan on spending a few nights outside.

How you use it

There’s a bit of truth in the “quick-witted” remark of: “It’s not what you have. It’s how you use it.” Will you be packing that sleeping bag on your back, or strapping it to a donkey? Do you plan on lashing it to a Mt. Bike or a BMW dual-sport? Car camping? It’s possible you may be planning for all of the above scenarios but if weight is a factor then add that to your selection criteria.  Sleeping bags also come in various weights and sizes. You don’t want a large-heavy bag stuffed in your backpack. But for car camping, it may be a non issue.

Shelter or not

Will you be using a two or three-person tent? Having a good, light-weight yet weather-stout tent will, in most cases, keep you out of inclement weather and increase the warmth producing ability of your sleeping bag. If you plan of using just a drop-cloth, a sleeping pad, and a mosquito net, choose accordingly. Likewise if you plan on constructing a light-weight lean-to, a wind-break made of flat rocks, or holing up in a compelling snow cave you dug for the night, you may want to select a bag intended for cooler temperatures.

Comfort ratings

Temperature ratings are really a generalization that depends on many variables only you can asses. Some manufacturers use in-house methods to rate the insulation value and comfort level of their products using criteria such as product construction, amount and quality of down fill, and field testing. Other manufacturers use the consistant third-party standard known as the European Norm (EN) rating system to indicate the temperature rating of a sleeping bag. An EN rating, for example EN13537 indicates the particular type of sleeping bag — most down bags are constructed as mummy-shape or semi-mummy — is scientifically tested in a climate chamber using a “dummy in a mummy” sleeping bag.

Always check the comfort ratings of sleeping bags. If you're not sure ask the sales person for help.

Assumptions such as use of a tent and a base-layer of clothing, using socks and head covering, are made. Additional asumptions are the size, weight, and position of the dummy’s as laying on their back, are made. Additional criteria such as a person’s experience in taking full-advantage of the insulation qualities of a given sleeping bag, such as curling up into a cinnamon bun, or wearing even more than base-insulation clothing. Also factors such as an individuals mental-state are taken into consideration. All the variables are measured, mathematically analysed, and result in a more quantitative estimate of how a specific product (a sleeping bag) will perform in a general setting.

And there are a few really knowledgeable and high-quality manufacturers of down sleeping bags and gear that won’t even assign a temperature rating to a sleeping bag. Their take, and it seem to be a rational one, is that you, the individual, should have a good sense of how you are going to use the equipment. You will be the one to know under what controlled conditions ( tent, cabin, cave floor carpeted with woolly mammoth hair) you will choose, or that you will choose the ground…always. It will be you who knows what geographical areas or climates you plan on being prepared for, your physical condition and metabolism, and how you sleep. Manufacturers who take this approach avoid the folly of estimating an application that, in reality, is not in their control. It’s in your control. A down-filled bag that weighs just a pound and several ounces, can only have so much down in it. And the materials and baffle construction will only add so much insulation value, and that value will cost you X amount of dollars for that range of features. It’s still a extremely light-weight and relatively similarly priced device.  If you’re still not certain, ask a sales person for help. Most of them are very knowledgeable about helping you select the right sleeping bag for your particular use.

Grades of goose down

At the top, the highest quality down is considered to be European goose down. Canada is also a source for down. Fill-power is measured as cubic inches per ounce of down.  A power of 700, for example, means the lofting capacity is outstanding. Lofting capacity is the ability of literally a couple million down filaments to trap still air and provide superior insulation with the least amount of physical weight. Grades of down are measured by slipping an ounce of the wispy, prepared, filaments into a glass tube in a temperature controlled environment, compressing it, and measuring that compression. High-quality down will compress more and weigh less than a sample of lower-grade down required to attain the same warmth.

Size matters. Larger, traditional style bags are great if weight isn't an issue.

All down is simply three-dimensional clusters of fluffy feather material that grows from a feather shaft to provide winter warmth for the bird as a layer close to the skin. Down is found only in waterfowl such as geese and ducks; both the primary source of textile-use down. Premium down is gathered by hand from mature European geese after they have molted (shed their winter base-layer) in the Spring.

These ultra high-end geese flocks are relatively small, and the primary purpose of these birds are for breeding. Therefore the down is a relatively rare insulation material, not easy to come by, and not cheap. Lesser quality down material may come from young geese only a few months old. Down from young geese is also a secondary product, but is collected in the harvesting cycle (early demise), as the youngsters are converted into pate’ to be spread on crackers with a dollop of caviar at the bequest of the Queen!

Good

A down-fill value of 500 to 500 is good for very cold conditions, but the down sleeping bag (or parka) will require more down fill to generate appropriate insulation qualities and warmth. Weight will increase by the same ratio as the item will require more down to generate more warmth capability. So if you’re not obsessed with counting calories, you might not be spun out by additional ounces of weight, and this level of down insulation may fit your application just fine.

Now, any grade of down-filled product in the 400 to 450 range of down-fill is still a viable option if it suits your application and budget. Howbeit, this grade of down is most often relegated to street fashion. A jacket (or sleeping bag) will still provide good warmth with an increase in weight. Hyper puffed parkas of this ilk can be observed on the upper torsos of the good folks of New York City. Yep, most any icy winter night they’ll be commuting on foot between the cubicle, the pub crawl, and back to the loft; warm and trendy. 

Better

But keep in mind, and this may be a factor in price, high-fill power down ranked between 600 and 700+/- is also excellent in light weight and high insulation quality. It too will be used in expedition-grade products. It’s also a scarce material resource to gather, process, and select. For most of us, this is the sweet spot for  selecting a great sleeping bag…or parka.

Best

Gear that uses 800 and above power-fill down is the best you can obain. It’s the benchmark for light yet warm insulation. As you shop, this is a number to look for and means more than an estimated comfort range. Expedition gear and extremely high-altitude down clothing and sleeping gear will source 800 power-fill down in many cases. It’s also a more scarce material to gather, process, and select long before it is available to the market.

By Rick Shandley

By Mary Webb

You won’t want to miss Pelican’s 2690 series HeadsUp Lite.  With various outdoor excursions in mind, we wanted a light that could take us from a family camping adventure to an evening bike ride along the road.  It’s all about hands free in California, especially when you’re setting up tents in the evening with a busy family, and those times when you need to hang on tight to your handle bars along a dark street.

Light up the Campground!

We took the Pelican HeadsUp Lite camping on a family trip to Santa Barbara. While other families fumbled along the path to the campfire with unstable hand-held flash lights, our family was able see clearly, hand in hand towards the camp site.  With 10 hours of AAA battery burn time, we knew our path would be well lit for unpacking at dusk.

With Santa Barbara comes the evening moisture from the ocean, fortunately the HeadsUp is made from ABS water-resistant plastic.

HeadsUp is light, compact, and powerful.

Not only is the ABS water resistant, it is also lightweight at a mere 4.1 ounces!

The whole family wanted to take turns wearing the HeadsUp! Clock-wise rotating knob allowed us to control the on and off capabilities.  We felt the rotating knob had less of a chance to accidentally turn on and off, as there was a proper 1/2-turn that takes place even before the LED light comes on. Plastic grooves on the built in rotary switch, which houses the lens, lends itself to easy handling; particularly those times you are wearing thick gloves.

Versatility comes in the design. There is a small stand at the back of light which transforms the Headups into a lamp, so to speak. This little lamp-stand allowed us to set the light on the tent floor for setting up sleeping bags in the evening.  There are 3 different ranges on the stand to reflect light at different angles. Each position clicks in place and we were able to read in our comfortable Big Agnes Yampa sleeping bag after an extended day hiking the trails along the Pacific Coast.

Ample padding next to your forehead makes the HeadsUp Lite easy to wear.

Light up the Road!

We were quite pleased at how bright the Pelican HeadsUp Lite is, the radial spread of light is impressive.  Enough to keep us safe on an evening road bike ride along the coast.

The HeadsUp Lite comes with two adjustable straps, elastic band and rubber. Elastic band is stitched tight and durable with a soft fabric that feels good against the forehead, the material repelled sweat as we took our bike up steep-hilled slopes.  Rubber strap fit nicely on our biking helmet also, snug and tight without slipping around.

Light up your world!

Pelican brings light to any adventure with this one. So whether you are planning a family camping excursion to the back country or intense climbing in Bryce and Zion, you will feel secure in long lasting light, durability and affordability at only $32.95!

HeadsUp Lite 2690 LED Flashlight Specifications

Light Source:

LED

Tested Lumen Value:  60.0

Tested Lux Value @ 1 Meter:  1,000

Batteries

3 AAA Alkaline, included

Battery burn time:  10 hours

Voltage

4.5

Length

2.81 inches (7.1 cm)

Weight with batteries

4.1 oz.

Weight without batteries

2.8 oz.

Open all year round, Arches’ most identifiable allure is the world famous Delicate Arch. Former Arches Interpretive Ranger Jim Blazik insists that arch “is probably one of the best known features in all of Utah.”

At 52 feet tall, Delicate Arch’s dramatic formation makes it a popular hiking destination for visitors to the park. A moderately difficult, three-mile trip on the main trail, hiking to the arch exposes to hikers the geology of the area and offers a sweeping view of the southern portion of the park. “It’s definitely a memorable place,” said Blazik. “People just want to hang out and ‘wow’ about it.”

Though not all of the park’s 2,000 arches are as recognizable as Delicate Arch, there is no shortage of remarkable sites for park visitors to enjoy. Landscape Arch, for example, measures 306 feet long from base to base, making it the longest arch in the entire park. Beyond that, spires, balanced rocks, eroded monoliths and sandstone “fins” are scattered throughout the park, exhibiting a chaotic geologic history that includes millions of years of erosion and deposition.

The arches and other natural formations themselves formed as a result of the land’s location on an underground “salt bed” that is in some places thousands of feet thick. 300 million years of debris erosion and sandstone deposits eventually resulted in many of the notable structures that attract visitors to Arches today.

Although the natural wonders spanning Arches National Park have drawn in admiring visitors for more than a thousand years, hunter-gatherers claimed the area for other uses at the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago. More recently, about 2,000 years ago, the land was cultivated by nomads who left behind pottery and artifacts as evidence of their residence in this portion of eastern Utah.

Petroglyphs can be found in Arches National Park.

Since it was first discovered, the history of the Arches area was broadened when Spanish missionaries went through the region to create a route through the deserts to their California missions. From there, recognition of the area’s natural beauty and unique structures steadily increased. In 1929 Herbert Hoover declared Arches a national monument, and in 1971 Congress gave it the enhanced status of a national park.

If the 10,000-year history — the complex story behind the geology and the awe-inspiring rock formations — aren’t enough to attract visitors internationally, the breadth of outdoor activities for every type of tourist imaginable adds even more incentive to visit Arches.

“This is a place set aside because of its geology, but you sure don’t have to be a geologist to be impressed,” Blazik said. Besides the must-do hikes to the more notable arches, Blazik notes that “there are a number of trails, from some that are even wheelchair accessible to longer trails that take a day or a day and a half.”

It is the variety of hikes that helps to make Arches an ideal family park. The multitude of less strenuous hikes is ideal for kids and visitors of limited mobility. One of the easier hikes that Arches offers, The Windows is a trail that Blazik called “one of the most popular.” A one mile long hike round trip, it leads to three remarkable arches—North Windows Arch, South Windows Arch and Turret Arch.

Hikes through the area of Arches called the Fiery Furnace also rate high in visitor popularity. Three hours long, the hikes are usually considered moderately difficult and require proper hiking gear. Blazik notes that he has gotten some of the most remarkable tourist reactions from the Fiery Furnace, through which he led a number of hikes when he worked at Arches. “You’d see it in somebody’s eyes, or they would just come out and say it—it usually really affected them,” he said.

Camping is another popular visitor activity that Arches does not fail to accommodate. According to Blazik, “The Devils Garden is a

Arches National Park.

popular site for camping,” where campers have year-round access to restrooms, portable water, picnic tables and grills and, at some sites, room for RVs up to 30 feet in length.

Located about 18 miles from Arches’ entrance, Devils Garden is ideal for new and seasoned visitors alike. Fifty individual campsites are available for up to 10 people March through October. Reservations for group campsites for 11 or more people are also available at two different sites. The Juniper Basin site can hold up to 55 people and is available March through October, and the Canyon Wren site has room for up to 35 people and is open year-round.

Climbing at Arches is a big draw, but adventurers need to know the strict regulations that Arches has in place. A list of arches and bridges that are designated as off limits to climbing of any sort is given to visitors interested in climbing. While this list bans a number of structures for climbing, it leaves much of the park’s rock open.  Arches is adamant about banning any climbing activity that removes plant life from the rocks or changes the physical shape of any of the structures.

Part of the Colorado Plateau, Arches is located in what is called a “high desert,” and temperatures therefore vary significantly from season to season. Even during the day, the temperature can fluctuate up to 40 degrees from the day to the night.

Wind sculpted rock structures go back thousands of years.

Weather in Arches and the surrounding Moab area can get extreme in the winter and summer months, with January typically being the coldest month and July the hottest. Summer temperatures, often more than 100 degrees, make the more strenuous activities offered at the park difficult. Intense storms often accompany summer nights, frequently causing flash floods.

Snow during the winter months is not uncommon, though typically the area does not get especially heavy snowstorms. Rain is regular, with the heaviest rainfall usually occurring in October. As such, Blazik said that the best time to visit Arches “is during the spring or fall, because it’s definitely more temperate.” Indeed, the temperature during these seasons is between 60 and 80 degrees during the day and 30 to 50 degrees at night.

Arches National Park is a land set apart for its rich history and intriguing geology. From the nomads of thousands of years ago to eager tourists visiting the park yearly, interest in the natural wonders of Arches has never waned. An ideal place for lovers of awe inspiring sights, the complex terrain within Arches “is very forgiving,” Blazik said, “but it’s rugged, too. At the same time, it’s also a fragile place, and there’s a lot that can be said for that.” From gentle trails to strenuous hikes, there is something for everyone coming to Arches. Still, “It’s not Disneyland,” Blazik urges visitors to remember. “It’s for real out there.”

Arches National Park is open 24 hour a day all year round. For more information, please visit http://www.nps.gov/arch

By Kimberlee Frederick

Photos by R. Shandley

Yosemite spring.

Ominous cloud cover heavy-laden with moisture hung above the 761,266 acre Sierra Nevada National Park and dumped two feet of snow for our first night tent camping in Yosemite.  Yes, tent camping.  To some this may not sound brave or rugged, but to this native Southern Californian, it was. My husband Luke and I arrived on Easter Sunday to sunny skies, grassy meadows and some snow way up on the domes and cliffs.

Our campsite was perfectly dry, packed dirt.  We knew it was going to snow, so with the EZ-Up over the tent we waited for the inevitable. We were all bundled in sweats, long underwear, three shirts, one hoody, my winter fur-lined coat, and thick gloves.

As the day grew dark and with Pedro, my shivering, short-haired Chihuahua in tow, I crawled into my 0 degree mummy bag.  It was super cold.  I opened ten hand warmers throughout the night, sticking them in my socks, gloves, and undies to warm my bottom.

Before my husband came to bed, he hung out by the fire with our neighboring campers, who were the only other tent campers in the usually tent-infested campground.  There were plenty of motor homes with generators running until 10 p.m. (turn off time), but no other tents.  Our neighbors were an atypical father-and-son team from Santa Rosa.  The father was a neo-hippy who wore a huge, gorgeously polished stone around his neck – but you would wear one too if you had his astrological nightmare.

“My house is always in the Sun of Scorpio,” he said. “It is a real nightmare.  But like a blind man who gains hyper perceptions in touch and smell to accommodate his handicap, I have gained strengths where my astrological weaknesses are greatest.” Right buddy!

Aside from the superstition, the guy was massively intellectual to the point of paralysis. The moon-child dad micro-instructed every

Coyote yawns as he ponders his night.

move his teenage son made. Setting up their borrowed tent was a thousand-step verbal breakdown of every single movement.  Putting the poles together required a lengthy lecture into the physics of pole and rope mechanics.

Once all the poles were set up and the tent ready to clip to the poles in one of the simplest tent designs I have seen, poor dad almost fell to pieces with overthinking the next 15 steps required.  He could not visualize the requisite set-up and was telling his son to take it all down and that it would never work.  There were only five minutes of work left to finish setting up the tent, but the dad was having an intellectual meltdown.  So the son came up with a contraption to make up for the lack of one little piece at the top to hold it together.  It was a simple, thin knotted rope that he called “elegant.”

The word alone encouraged the dad to continue.  In the end it was set up gorgeously, and they were able to move on to cooking dinner, which was more of the same micro-managing – only worse because it was snowing and the beans were turning to mush and getting watered down from the snow falling into the pan.

Finally Luke came to bed after knocking six inches of snow off the EZ-Up that stood over our tent.  Breathing fat columns of foggy breath, Luke and I kissed each other good night and dreamt of bliss. We woke up in the night and each knocked another six inches off of the EZ-Up about every two hours. And still again in the morning we got up and knocked off another foot of cement-like snow.

Surely the EZ-Up and tent would have collapsed had we not been vigilant, because in the morning, our father and son neighbors’ beautiful, big tent had collapsed to the size of a very large turtle.  They were in good spirits though, and like the night before when huge snow clumps were falling on them and their fingers were so cold they couldn’t move them, they both kept reiterating, “But this is great!”  When they crawled out of the knee-high tent through the little remaining hole, they both said, “But this is great!”

All the next day people were hauling their collapsed EZ-Ups and awnings to the trash can.  There were eight awnings and EZ-Ups at the two nearby trash containers alone.  The snow all night was silent, and when we would peek out, it was the most magical scenery.  The white flakes descended like thousands of white fairies floating to the ground.  It made me understand some of the sappy personifications often given to nature.  Shoot, I just called the snow “thousands of white fairies in a magical wonderland.”

But the one thousand-soldier fairy army gathered in troops of millions and settled in the tree canopies above our tent and

Food lockers keep bears out. It's not a bear problem, it's a human one.

throughout the campground, forming rock-heavy, white slabs which, when massed and outweighing the tree branches, would fall like bombs on our EZ-Up, car, neighboring motor homes and the ground.  It sounded like a battlefield at times and at 3 a.m. required a Tylenol PM to settle the nerves.  In the morning two feet of snow covered absolutely every single thing.  Still snowing, it was divinity.  How many times must I thank Frank Lloyd Wright for saying, “I believe in God and I spell it N-A-T-U-R-E.”

When I saw the Yosemite Royal Arches (the gorgeous, two thousand-foot-high rock face behind the rugged Awahnee Inn) covered in snow, I did not see God’s creation; I saw God.  And I went on to find God repeatedly to the point of ridiculousness; in the face of Half Dome, in the luscious meadows, in the eyes of the tagged bear, among the herd of nine deer and at the marsh.

Camping in the snow was hard work, and surviving was a one-to-one ratio. For every movement there was a distinct survival purpose, and it was an all-day-and-night affair.  There was shoveling the snow off the sides of the tent and creating a perimeter in case of melting, and shoveling the area we wanted to call our living/cooking space. There was walking to and from the bathroom, which was an adventure in sinking and snow plowing.  There was cooking in the snow while huge ice chunks dumped on you, and most importantly, there was getting and keeping shoes dry.  This was more important than eating because icy cold feet feel like death.  But the activity was profoundly satisfying and necessary, making life make sense.

We hiked at least eight miles per day in the snow, which turned to slush, then mud in some places, by the end of the week.  But our campsite, beneath 100-year-old Ponderosa Pines and fir trees, stayed thick with snow until we left.

Mist Trail and Vernal Falls Hike

The hike on the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls was gorgeous, strenuous, uplifting and annoying.  There were huge, moss-covered boulders that dripped with delicate, melting snow.  The effect was a sparkling, drippy delight.  We stopped to take pictures of a grotto of dripping deliciousness, but there was a boy throwing snowballs at the very icicles we wanted to take a picture of.  His mother was enraptured with his athletic acumen and encouraged him by cheering.  Stupid boy.  Stupid mom.

The hike was so slippery. My hubby Luke had our Chihuahua Pedro in the backpack; Luke was in pain because of a pulled back muscle, and fell once with Pedro jumping out to save himself.  Pedro was lazy and loved the backpack, so we stuck the hot hand warmers in next to him.  He thought he was in heaven.

Wikipedia describes the Mist Trail perfectly: “Along the trail, the Merced River is a tumultuous mountain stream….. Enormous boulders, the size of a house, are dwarfed by the sheer faces of exfoliating granite, which rise 3,000 feet (914 m) from the river.”

We passed the amazing Illilouette Falls along the way.  The view was good, but the trail was skinny, and the crowds (which number 3.5 million people per year) were so annoying. Even though the people were cool Europeans, hippies and nature people that I’d normally love, en masse they may have well been rats.   The last bit of the trail is very steep rocks, but Vernal Falls is absolutely magnificent and the incredible amount of water at this time of year makes it worth dealing with the crowds and steepness.  Ten hikers in as many years have died while diving or swimming here, so I am fortunate to be a coward and will never have to face such a death.

We hiked/slid back down in the slush, and at bottom we discovered Happy Isles Fen, which is a two-acre wetland or marsh, and is

Falling water enchants and mocks us.

quite rare in the Sierra Nevadas.  Happy Isles was thankfully empty of people. We were pretty much blissfully alone.  And apparently the Fen didn’t catch much attention, because when we hiked that lovely area, there were no people at all: none on the Fen.  The Fen is a gorgeous marsh surrounded by trees and it was my favorite place. Go There.  It embodies e.e. Cummings musing, “The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.”  A boardwalk takes you right through the center of the marshes where even in the snow, birds and frogs abounded.

The following day we hiked to Mirror Lake and beyond.  The trail is paved and follows the gorgeous Merced River.  It is a nice, easy hike and was not too crowded because we were there early.  Mirror Lake is really a pond, and it mirrors Half Dome.  The pictures we took can be turned upside down and the mirror image of Half Dome is so perfect in the lake that you are hard-pressed to tell which end is up.  The pond is not grand, but it is beautiful.

There were many professional and unprofessional photographers, painters and sketchers sitting around creating their art: copying and re-creating the perfection of the lake.  And there were tourists: whiny kids and people with the wrong shoes and clothes amassed at the lake; people from all over the giant world sat and took up fat space.  But we hiked past the lake, past the hordes, and up a trail that follows the river, and we were utterly alone.  We may have passed a few people on the way down, but otherwise we were thankfully alone.

Black bear walking.

On the trail, we found a giant waterfall that started thousands of feet up on a rock face. It was mostly hidden by the forest that surrounded it, and it trickled down to a gorgeous creek that crossed our path. Someone must have poured bleach in it, because it was so clear and clean.  I heard tens of birds, but saw none, and Pedro sat contently in the backpack.

We finally arrived at a bridge and took 10 take-it-yourself portraits with the river in the background. However, our fat heads were so large in the picture that the river was blocked out except a few very large boulders that vied with our heads.

The river spun down fast over huge boulders and an American Dipper (cinclus Mexicanus) flitted and caught small aquatic creatures.  There were more of the moss boulders with trickling water on our hike down.  We hiked in silence, but our boots and the river and the trickling water kept a rhythm that moved us.  There was a lot of slush and slippery snow, but the trek wasn’t steep, so we didn’t fall or slip much. We had boot-dry duty that night, and our waterproof hiking boots were soaked through, but they dried well when placed before the camp heater or campfire.  We ate home-cooked beef stew, and bread and butter with wine, for dinner.  I love eating at camp.  We were so hungry from our hike that the food tasted marvelous, plus cooking and eating outdoors is celestial.

We got up the last morning and went to the cafeteria for breakfast.  The cafeteria in Curry Village was a wonderful treat, and I ate a

Clear sky afternoon in Yosemite.

huge plate of eggs and potatoes, then eight pieces of French toast – lightly powdered with sugar, no syrup, just butter.  Yes, I said eight pieces of French toast!  We hiked a flat, dry trail at the foot of El Capitan.  It was a sweet, easy, un-peopled trail that lacked the wow and pizzazz of Vernal or Yosemite Falls, but I loved it all the same.  I was stiff and sore from hiking and sleeping in the mummy bag, trying not to move so I wouldn’t lose my precious trapped heat.  So the mellow trail suited me just fine.  There were bugs and flowers, unlike our campground, which was socked in with snow and thick in trees.  A delightful creek crossed our path, and it was as clean and gorgeous as anything I have ever seen.  Then we came to the Merced River and sat on a huge boulder over looking huge rapids, spying two mergansers fluffing their feathers on a rock.

We drove the loop and saw a bear, our second one of the week.  It was huge and brown, with a cream-colored chest and chin, and a red-tagged left ear.  Most bears are tagged in Yosemite.  The bear elicited wonder from all.  When I see bears, I get all choked up and teary.  Crowds of people formed to stare, photograph and whisper in awe.  All the people were moved; our ugly faces were uplifted.  There was a silent communion and celebration amongst the people.

The exchanged glances and quiet comments gave a glimpse into the profundity of what E.O. Wilson calls “biophilia”: the necessity of humans to bond with other species and nature.  We were all in love for just that moment with something immediately necessary and fragile.  It was as if we all thought the same thing at once: Stay with me. I did not want to leave, ever.

Pedro is the most interesting dog in the world. He only drinks Dos Equis.

Rugged, yet tender, the American black bear (Ursus americanus), one of 300 to 500 estimated to live in Yosemite, lay on his tummy, sniffed around, slept, got up, and ate grubs, grass and acorns in the meadow.  He dug with his nose and claws in the grass, and looked over at the people occasionally when someone sneezed or coughed.  There have been zero human fatalities by bears in Yosemite ever!

Seeing the calm bear saunter about and be totally at ease with people (who kept their distance) was a wonderful counterbalance to the screaming fear of urban mythology.  However, once bears get the taste of sugar, marshmallows and candy from negligent campers, they turn into sugar crack heads and will sell their mothers to get more.  They will rip the doors off your car, and sneak into your campsite and take food from your table while you sit there with your mouth open.  (I’ve had this happen.)

Yosemite takes its bears seriously and wants them to remain a wild feature of the park.  There is a $5,000 fine for leaving food in your car.  There is a saying that goes: A fed bear is a dead bear.  There are bear lockers at every campsite so there is no reason for error.  Five bears last year became aggressive and were killed by park officials.  But the most important thing to remember is that bear attacks are rare.

Yosemite smashes into your soul and forces one to remember nature and the human requisite to be in it.  Without sounding too neo-hippy, communion with things such as wildlife, undeveloped nature and electronics-free outdoors is gut-level imperative to one’s soul.  Being in Yosemite packed me with a proper contentment and made me feel rugged and tender all at once.

Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way. ~John Muir

By Suzie Hemphill

Photography: Suzie and Luke Hemphill

Copy Editor: Katherine Sweet

Granite Gear Long Howl dog pack with saddle bags attached.

Granite Gear Long Howl dog pack is an excellent option for hikers and backpackers who take their best friends on the trail. On a recent trip to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, we encountered one big German Shepherd on the trail around Convict Lake with his dog-pack, food and water, and the happiest tail wagging lope to be found on the opening day of trout season. With more dogs accompanying owners on the trail it makes perfects sense to kit your pet up with its own supply of food, water, and perhaps a ground cloth or dog-sweater.

Below is a snap-shot take on how the folks at Backpacker magazine viewed the Granite Gear Long Howl dog pack.

Backpacker magazine Essentials Dog Gear Pack feature:  “The Granite Gear Long Howl is built a lot like your pack. It features an adjustable harness that keeps webbing straps off of our dog’s fur (where it can chafe) by way of wide, lightly padded straps.

It’s lined with stretch-woven fabric-the same kind Granite Gear uses in people packs.  The removable saddlebags have reflective stripes so you can see Astro after sundown.  “It hugged my 95-pound Lab’s barrel chest perfectly, and the kibble-stocked pack never got lopsided,” the tester said.”

Long Howl harness without saddle bags

Granite Gear Long Howl Dog Pack

• MSR $100-$200
• Weight: 1lb. 1 oz.
• Sizes: Small to Large
• Color: Red and Black with low-light reflective web strips

First observation was the simplicity of the burner unit. Not only very compact, with folding-cleats to support the pot over the burner, but an electric piezo flame-ignition system, and no-fuss assembly to the fuel canister. A trip to REI for the Primus fuel canister offered the 450-gram canister as the only option, so we ran with it. Yet, this EtaPackLite stove system is designed so a 100-gram fuel canister can be nested into the 1.5-liter pot that comes with the stove.

At sea level it’s rare to have any issues with the time it takes to boil water or heat up the olive oil for tasty stir fry.  And most any generation of personal stove will do good job, even a campfire will work fine. But as the altitude increases, so does the boil and cooking time. Among other reasons, altitude offers less oxygen and therefore less heat generated by the heat source. 

Primus EtaPakLite uses an electric ignition mounted on the base of the stove.

Add to that wind, wet weather, and cold to get a grip on just some of the environmental conditions you might want to heat up water for coffee, hot chocolate, tea or simply cook a meal.

As tested, the EtaPackLite stove churned the water to a boil extremely quick at elevations from a low of 7000 feet to more than 11,000 feet above sea level. Since boiling water is a primary method for preparing food on a backpacking trip, and when available, the next day’s drinking water, it is a good substance to evaluate the stove. Well, the water in the 1.2-liter pot was roiling before I was ready to have that first cup of hot chocolate and a sleeve of Starbucks coffee at the end of the day.

The ability of this Primus stove to motivate the water into a boil caught me off-guard several times. Even in preparing soup or an AlpineAire dehydrated meal, the stove got things going faster than my goofing around setting up camp allowed. That’s certainly not any downside of this stove; when you use it make sure you’re ready to cook and tend the meal as this stove delivers a very fast boiling time.

EtaPakLite kit pot with radiator on bottom.

A look at the radiator construction of the pot bottom pretty much tips you off to how the EtaPackLite generates it super-fast heating performance. The core-like engineering of the radiator design causes heat from the stove flame to focus energy into heating the water, wine, or cooking oil. And this design and efficiency of the combination of stove, windscreen, and radiator-effect on the pot all contribute to less cooking time and greater gas/fuel economy. The efficiency rating for this stove is 75%, and when you need less time to cook whatever, it means your canister will last longer and therefore boil more water or cook more food before you have to change out the canister.

In four backpack trips, I’m still on that first big canister of fuel. I take a backup, but am curious how far the first fuel canister plans of living. It’s low, but continues to deliver the flame until it’s turned off. I didn’t experience any low-fuel failures with the Primus gas canisters either. If you can shake the canister and determine there’s still fuel in it, the stove will light and burn it.

The electronic fuel ignition worked every time with single activation of the lighter button. It can be a little cumbersome to use the fuel ignition device with the windscreen in place.

Stove base with windscreen on cleat-wings.

The work-around is merely to start the burner and then slip the windscreen on the cleats. Attaching the fuel canister to the fuel hose leading to the burner is also a no-drama process. You just screw on the canister to the braided stainless steel stove hose, turn on the gas, and pinch the igniter button betwixt your thumb and forefinger. Thwap! The stove is on.

Other favorable qualities I enjoyed about the Primus stove in addition to the electric flame starter built onto the base of the stove, is the ability to adjust the flame for simmering food and a lightweight windscreen that offers enough room for several sizes of cooking containers.

If you want to cook pancakes, and you brought the pan, this stove works great with or without the use of the windscreen. Although we used the windscreen most of the time, the stove works just fine using rocks or natural wind barriers that might be available around your campsite.

Just leave the windscreen off, and you can cook with a frying pan.

We also liked the stability of the EtaPackLite burner unit and the collapsible cleat-wings for supporting a pot or pan. And yes, one needs a little frying pan to work with a stove in order to allow complete freedom in outdoor gourmet cuisine if you’re really going to get out and enjoy the fresh air. Consider the scenario as you prepare dinner by glazing up some wild onions, a radish or two, and a medium-sized German Brown trout you coaxed into cinching down on your homemade buck tail-rooster-head artificial fly on the alpine lake you’ve holed up at for the evening. You’re not limited to prepare every meal by simply boiling water. And the ability to include a frying pan opens up lots of doors for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

 Now, we haven’t had this stove in severely cold weather…yet. However, on chilly nights and frosty mornings where overnight temperatures did get down to freezing, the stove fired up at 5:00 am without hesitation. So as winter kicks in for 2009/2010, our plans include using the Primus EtaPackLite stove in much colder conditions.

It should also be noted that the pot handle is versatile, light, and works well with this stove system. The main pot has a non-stick coating that’s protected, in transit, by a polypropylene insert bowl that doubles as a serving container. The plastic lid is BPA-free (no bisphenol-A material), a material that has caused much controversy regarding its notoriety as a possible carcinogen.

Vented pot lid made without harmful BPA materials.

The entire cooking system, including stove, pot, 100g fuel canister, and windscreen fit into a stuff-sack that keeps everything together and compartmentalizes the kit in your backpack or camp box.

Once you’ve taken the kit apart and re-assembled it a few times the procedure becomes a time saver when setting up camp or packing up for the next day.

In general, the Primus EtaPackLite stove and system worked as advertised and it will get many more trips on it due to the fact it is light, compact, and efficient.

By Rick Shandley

At 5:00 AM, the EtaPakLite is a joy to fire up for coffee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full stove kit ready to slide into its ventilated stuff-sack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note how the gas feed tube lifts out of a hold-clip to compact for transport.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Specifications:

Weight: 580grams (20.5oz)

Heat Units: 2000W (7150 BTU/h)

Boil Time: 2.5 minutes (Before you’re ready)

Size: 165 x 130mm (6.5” x 5.1”)

Service: 1-2 people

Canister Sizes:

Primus 100g (3.5 fl. oz) – [Max. 1.2 hours or 12 boiling sessions]

Primus 230g (7.9 fl. oz) – [Max. 3 hours or 28 boiling sessions]

Primus 450g (15.9 fl. oz) – [Max. 6 hours or 56 boiling sessions]

Made in: Estonia

Design: Primus AB Sweden

MSRP: $115

Camping is expected to become a popular vacation this summer, as families look to save money and stay close to home. 

As more and more families are tightening their budgets and looking to stay closer to home this summer, many are considering shaking the dust off their tents and sleeping bags and heading out for an old fashioned camping trip.

According to a recent poll by the U.S. Travel Data Center, 85 percent of Americans said that spending time together as a family is the principle reason for heading out on a camping vacation. No matter if you have old equipment or need to get new gear, camping vacations cost a family less money overall. For beginners or those of us with antique camping equipment that hasn’t seen the light of day since the 70s’, many places rent equipment, which is often a great way to try it out before making the investment on new gear. Tents come in many different styles and sizes. Larger families may need a cabin-style tent, but the majority prefers a smaller umbrella style because it’s more compact, easy to assemble and has plenty of interior space.

There are many options both in equipment and in experience. If you prefer some modern conveniences, many campgrounds have showers and restrooms right on the premises. Some have playgrounds or a swimming area to entertain kids. And there are a number of campgrounds with tent sites on the shores of lakes or streams for fishing and canoeing access.

If you prefer the rustic experience, there is a tremendous amount of free entertainment right at your feet, even in the most remote wilderness areas. Often, kids will have fonder memories of a nature hike or a night around the campfire than a busy tourist area. Or learning how to navigate in the wilderness with a compass can leave them feeling more accomplished than an afternoon of playing video games.

Meals cooked outside also are more memorable for kids. Hectic home schedules make it difficult for families to gather for meals. But there are few, if any, interruptions at a campsite. Kids are even willing to get involved with the cooking and less likely to complain about what there is to eat. And there’s truth to the adage that everything seems to taste better coming from a campfire or a cooler, versus the kitchen table at home.

Remember that camping is flexible and can be tailored to your desires. A family might combine some options on their vacation, taking advantage of the hiking trails and wildlife of a slightly secluded campground, yet visiting some of the local tourist sites and occasionally eating out.

Contact your state tourism department, game and fish department or parks and recreation department for information on camping facilities and locations. For out of state information, contact the National Park Service at 202-208-4747, or the U.S. Forest Service at 202-205-0957 for a list of national forests and campgrounds. State highway maps are another good source of campground information. Time spent with your family experiencing the natural world together is rewarding for everyone.

The most important thing is to relax, bring what you think you need and don’t fuss over items that you may have forgotten. Keep a mental record of what you brought, should have done and need to do, so the next time you plan a camping trip, it’s much more enjoyable and will be a source for many happy memories.

Source and images courtesy Eureka Tents