another overnighter: mukluks and frozen feet.

JV3

JV3

Joined
Mar 17, 2010
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last weekend there was too much snow on the road already at 3 am so i missed out on overnighting during a blizzard with bearthedog but there was still a good bit of snow left over in the woods this past weekend.

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c-bone is back! last time we overnighted was over two years ago when he was barely recovered from several surgeries from a devastating mountain bike accident...shattered his collar bone, hence his nickname :D

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we've been waiting for a long time to finally see him doing things like this...looks like he's fully recovered and we're all thankful.

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c-bone chilling in his hammock with his mukluks.

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he's a fast learner – checkout those wood shavings...notice the mukluks are now soaking wet due to the snow melt.

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pyramid fire layout – usually what i go with...light it and forget about it.

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anchor log.

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c-bone threading it through the natural hole in the log like a needle...good thing i didn't bet money on it that he couldn't do it.

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back to the mukluks...no dinner pics because we over-worked ourselves during the day collecting a ton of firewood that we didn't notice our feet were now soaking wet from the melted snow. that heat from the sun was very deceptive, soon after sunset the temp dropped so fast unlike i've ever seen before...the fire was just so smoky and was burning our socks and boots more than drying them out so we both went in our shelters by 9 pm.

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the stove was glowing red hot...i think i finally figured out how to eek the most heat from it.

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i'm not kidding when i say water was dripping from my wool socks (the two pairs i had)...even after all these years winter camping i still made a newbie mistake and let them get wet...shame on me!

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i thought i had it bad...until c-bone woke me up at sunrise the next day informing me he didn't sleep and froze all night in the hammock even with his 0° bag and wool blanket. he took the wool liners out of his mukluks the night before to dry them out but it ended up freezing so he couldn't put them back in the next day...he was literally ready to put his feet inside the now un-insulated mukluks and make a run for the parking lot, leaving all his gear behind :D

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my stove to the rescue! it's all radiant heat without the risk of burning unlike an open fire so he managed to thaw everything out and put the wool liners and his feet back in. looking back it's funny now but man, when it was happening it was downright miserable...frozen feet is no joke.

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we did manage to get two benches started...going to improve on it on upcoming trips.

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the hike back...glad we thawed out our shoes...can't imagine hiking back with frozen feet.

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breakfast at a local diner – it took all of my will power not to peel off some of that birch bark :D this particular species is common farther up north but here it's like spotting a unicorn!

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that's why i prefer winter over any season to camp...i always come away a little more beat up and hopefully wiser :)
 
Cool adventure. Thanks for sharing. :thumbup:

Since you mentioned getting the most out of your stove... have you tried sleeping on a raised platform in a heated tent?

One of my (if not my) most comfortable outings in a hot tent was at a campsite where they had pallets you could borrow. The warm airflow below me, lack of moisture or cold seeping up from the ground, and higher temperature from the elevated position made quite a difference.
 
Mukluk excel when it is cold enough that there is no snow melt. As you found out, they are terrible in milder weather.
 
sideways said:
Cool adventure. Thanks for sharing. :thumbup:

Since you mentioned getting the most out of your stove... have you tried sleeping on a raised platform in a heated tent?

One of my (if not my) most comfortable outings in a hot tent was at a campsite where they had pallets you could borrow. The warm airflow below me, lack of moisture or cold seeping up from the ground, and higher temperature from the elevated position made quite a difference.
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thanks! i haven't tried the raised platform yet but that's a great idea! i already have this that another friend experimented with years ago that i left intact...it'd be perfect for it. on this trip my pad was directly on snow so i bet a raised platform would've been much better.

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jmarston said:
Mukluk excel when it is cold enough that there is no snow melt. As you found out, they are terrible in milder weather.
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indeed...my feet were much warmer with my normal boots and wool socks than c-bone's were with his mukluks.


baldtaco-II said:
Neoprene socks. If I'm not in a rubber foot boot then neoprene socks.
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great tip! i'll look into those.
 
I'm glad you like the idea. :D

A lightweight plastic sled is also useful in the snow. Pull your stuff in on it and use it to haul firewood around camp. Also makes a nice dry chair.

Here is one that sees use by icefishermen as sled, chair, windbreak.
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But your average kids style sled will get the job done. Naturally in adult size with a foam sitting pad.
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When the temperature is very close to freezing I like rubber boots and a rotation of wool socks. It takes some of the uncertainty out of it. You know your outermost footwear will be dry. Hiking boots always seem to get wet and stay wet for me in those conditions.
 
IMO there are few short cuts to comfort when winter camping. The sled or toboggan allows one to bring a little comfort. I know it looks like a lot of stuff and it is, but the mile haul back in was a piece of cake.

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mewolf1 said:
IMO there are few short cuts to comfort when winter camping. The sled or toboggan allows one to bring a little comfort. I know it looks like a lot of stuff and it is, but the mile haul back in was a piece of cake.
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Nah man.

That looks like a suitable amount of kit for a winter excursion. It's people you are lacking. Gotta stack that tent high with bodies to shorten the fire duty. 8 guys and everyone only does 1 hour. 16 and you only do an hour every second day. With three guys you'll be up half the night feeding the fire or sleeping cold. :)
 
:D but they are in their 20's, my sled was definitely the lightest.;)Besides, I don't know 8 people I like well enough to go into the bush with for any extended period.
sideways said:
Nah man.

That looks like a suitable amount of kit for a winter excursion. It's people you are lacking. Gotta stack that tent high with bodies to shorten the fire duty. 8 guys and everyone only does 1 hour. 16 and you only do an hour every second day. With three guys you'll be up half the night feeding the fire or sleeping cold. :)
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Hmmm, yeah, I can see how that might be a problem. :D

To be honest I'd be hard pressed to round of 8 guys to share a tent with me too... creeping time constraints, other responsibilities and a shrinking social circle will do that. But the theory is solid. Winter camping gets sooo much easier in groups. :)
 
My oldest boy insisted on chairs, two burner Coleman stove, four bottles of gas, Coleman lantern, Cast iron pan, five gallon bucket, and enough food for ten days, even though it was a two night three day trip. He did all the cook'in too. Bless the boy. I cut wood and fished.:cool:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...Outdoorsy-Pic-Thread!?p=15702943#post15702943
sideways said:
Hmmm, yeah, I can see how that might be a problem. :D

To be honest I'd be hard pressed to round of 8 guys to share a tent with me too... creeping time constraints, other responsibilities and a shrinking social circle will do that. But the theory is solid. Winter camping gets sooo much easier in groups. :)
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Ain't you Joisey boys never heard of waterproofing your mukluks? (says a Joisey expatriate) :D

What part of the state were you camping in?
 
Looks like a fun abiet moist outing.

From the photos, they look like Steger Arctic Muks. They are about as good as you can get for factory jobs.

I have and use a pair just like them. But I never even bother with them until temps are at or below a sustained 20F.

That wet, melting snow you encountered is about the worst for any boot. Because unlike rain, it doesn't run off. It just sits there and soaks in.

Two small pieces of advice for the new Muker. Grab a spare pair of wool liners. A little bulky, but not too much weight. You can even wear the dry ones in your bag if desired. Slipping the dry pair in the Muks in the morning makes for a much nicer day.

Harken back to the days of galoshas. Wool socks, and garbage bags. Insert the bags between the felt liners and the moosehide outers. If conditions are real bad. Do it again between the liner and the sock. Cheap insurance.

Also Steger sells some really cool water repellent/conditioner. It works decently, but most likely wouldn't have helped with those conditions. They will wet through, it's the nature of the beast.

I used to have a full moosehide set. I coated the entire mukluks with Obenauf's. They don't look too pretty, but they resist more moisture.

Another cool option I have read about, but not tried yet. Is N.E.O.S. overshoes. You can wear them over the muks directly for water proof over shoes. Or just stuff in a pair of felt packs for lightweight, high tech, hybrid, mukluks.

You can even get the N.E.O.S. with built in ice caulks for those icy outings.

Unfortunately the conditions you guys encountered, are abouth the absolute worst for footwear. Bean boots or rubber barn barn boots might have been a better choice. But hindsight is always 20/20.

I hope I gave C-Bone some workable options. The cheapest being a spare pair of felts. Tell him not to give up on those Arctics. They are very cool and extremely versatile footwear once the temps drop below 20F.

Still looks like you guys had a good time. Pain and suffering is a good teacher.
LV,
 
Lots of ways to skin a cat...

For me...
Galoshes are to protect dress shoes from the slush and salt of the winter urban jungle.
Lining leather boots with plastic is a field expedient when you have to meet a certain dress standard.

Given a choice neither would be my first choice. If the conditions call for it, it is OK to go waterproof.

There is the option of bringing along a second pair of footwear to wear around camp. Even a pair of crocs with some wool socks will do on the well trodden paths around camp while your main shoes/boots are airing out.
 
I have found I prefer waterproof boots with thick wool socks inside. Currently I use a pair of Muck Arctic Pro boots. Used some cheap Kamik insulated rubber boots for a number of years. Bring fresh socks and you are able to air out the boots overnight even if they do not dry completely from sweating, I find my feet stay much warmer and drier than other options I have tried.
 
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