Winter Camping

Here are two words that should never be seen together – winter camping.

If you have been reading my blog this week, you will know that I hate camping. If there is a word stronger than hate, then it should be used for my feelings for winter camping. Yet one of the leaders from our youth group in Ottawa suggested it and it was decided that it would be a good experience for everyone. As one of the leaders, I was obligated to go.

This was the year the severe ice storm hit the Ottawa area. Trees were down all over. It was also very cold – minus 28 degrees Celsius. When we got to Gatineau Park, a huge natural area close to Ottawa, we found barricades at the start of our trail. Normal people would take this as a sign that we should avoid this route. We had some real outdoors types who regarded this as a challenge.

Our objective was to reach a site where some snow huts had been made and a small wooden cabin existed in case of an emergency. I already had visions of sleeping in the cabin.

We set off down the forbidden road. Some trudged in snowshoes. Other walked. I had my cross-country skis. With all the branches down, this wasn’t very effective. It was tough going.

At about 4:30 in the afternoon, like an impatient child in a car, I asked if we were there yet. We weren’t. I then asked if anyone knew exactly where we were in relation to our destination. Nobody really knew. With the sun quickly going down, and being as cold as it was, I suggested that we needed to set up a camp soon or we would be wandering around in the dark. Being as cold as it was, this could put our safety in peril.

We found a suitable spot and everybody pitched in to help get the site ready for about 20 bodies.

We had two priorities. One was starting a fire to keep us warm and cook our food. The other was building a shelter. We didn’t have any tents. A large plastic tarpaulin was all we had.

Somebody decided that digging a hole in the snow and then covering it with the tarp was the best bet. It was tough digging until I took a step and discovered that there were two layers of snow and if I jumped, I would crash through both, creating the necessary depth for people to sleep. Although this was a church group, the rule of boys and girls sleeping in separate quarters was abandoned. We needed all of the body heat we could in our makeshift tent.

How cold was it? One person put his boots near the fire to warm his feet. The rubber on the boots started to melt before he got his feet warm.

It was suggested that you should put your clothes in your sleeping bag to keep them warm. From all the work I had done, mine were damp. This didn’t turn out to be a good idea, because my sleeping bag was no longer that dry.

The ceiling of our accommodation was about 4 feet high. I crawled into my damp sleeping bag and removed most of my clothes. Then it happened. A huge cramp came to my leg. I tried to get rid of it, but it grabbed my muscles like a steel trap. The only way I knew to get rid of it was to stand up and walk it out.

First, remember that I was in a sleeping bag. Second, remember that the ceiling was only 4 feet high. Third, remember that it was minus 28 degrees Celsius and I didn’t have much on. Contorting myself like the rubber man in the sideshow at a circus, I managed to get rid of the cramp and settled into the sleeping bag again. It soon came back for revenge. I went through the same ritual, stepping on my neighbour’s head in the process.

I decided to get dressed and sit by the fire all night. I wouldn’t get any sleep, but I would be warmer than I was. I spent the night chanting the mantra, “Why? Why? Why?” The response came from the heavens in the form of an incredibly bright and large shooting star that descended into the woods.

Would I ever go winter camping again? You must be joking. Of course not! Still, I learned that the tales of my exploits lasted for years with the members of the youth group. Another lesson was how desperation can make people pull together and do a job well, especially when their survival depends on it. Even in the darkest moments miracles like shooting stars can happen. Finally, I learned how good a hot bath can feel when you are chilled to the bone.