Day 14 :: Winter Camping

Another last minute change of plans. We weren't able to get to the Pow Wow, so we moved the winter camping up. Good thing too... the weather has warmed up, and if we waited even a few more days, there may be no igloo to camp in. Ah, yes, the igloo. Done! Finished it yesterday afternoon with the help of Addie.

When the night came, Addie and I got the hesitant thumbs up from Laura for Addie to spend the night out there with me. And, sadly, Laura didn't get much sleep as a result of it... she kept herself awake with thoughts of us freezing to death or dying in an avalanche of the igloo collapsing on us (a distant possibility actually... the collapse, not the death).

We got a late start last night, but thanks to the lending of some cold-weather sleeping bags from my friend, Jon, we finally got all our gear together and started setting up the fire at around 7:00pm. Sadly, the process of 'starting' the fire lasted for about an hour. I was determined to use a magnesium stick instead of matches, and just the wood available in the yard. I was able to produce some frozen twigs, some leaves under the snow, and some 2 x 4 scraps. I was able to get a flame rather quickly, but there was really no tinder or adequate kindling to speak of, so it was mostly in vain. Eventually, Addie ran into the house and grabbed some newspaper. That did it. We finally had a fire.

We roasted some hotdogs (a little too 'ashy' to Addie's taste), and followed them up with some roasted marshmallows. The coolest part for Addie, however, was how the fire slowly burned itself down into the snow, eventually creating a pit.

We then prepped the igloo. We first threw down a large tarp to cover the entire floor of the igloo. We followed that with a large blanket, then several sleeping pads. Next came our mummy bags, followed by three more blankets. In addition, we had our winter coats lining the sides of the igloo, a lamp, some snacks, and some water bottles.

It was very cool. Both meanings of the word.

Before we made our way into the igloo, Addie had a little surprise for me. Before she knew she was allowed to join me for the night, she made me a little card. She gave it to me there at the fire along with some candy valentine 'conversation' hearts.

The night was long, but victorious. Neither of us got much sleep. Not because of the cold so much, but because of the contour of the ground. It prevented us from being able to move around to get comfortable. On the bright side, we were both fairly warm throughout the night.

Eventually the sun came up around 7:00, 7:30. That was it for us. Not the most comfortable of experiences, but what a great box to check for Addie... and a great experience for me. I'm very proud of that little girl, and I truly had a wonderful time with her.