Filed under: Family Camping, Family Weekend Trips, Kid-Friendly Trips, Kid-Friendly Trips, Outdoor Recreation & Hiking
First Backpacking Adventure Continued…
November 14, 2012 by Cynthia Baum · 4 Comments
When I left off with our very first backpacking adventure, we were just turning in for the night. Picking up where I left off…
My family of four all slept in one queen-sized sleeping bag that night—not the best idea we ever had. With the two adults on the ends and two little ones in between us, we didn’t keep each other warmer, as we had originally thought. Instead, we just didn’t have enough room and were waking each other up all night, with even the smallest of movements. The air inside the tent was so cold that any skin exposed (which was basically just our faces), was frostbitten. Even sleeping with all of our snow clothes, hats, gloves, and jackets still on, inside the sleeping bag, we were still freezing!
By morning, we were all a bit grumpy, tired, sore, and frozen-stiff. While cooking our oatmeal, we got some hot dogs in a pan, ready to go on the stove next, with an inch of water just barely covering them. By the time the oatmeal was cooked and ready to eat (ten or fifteen minutes later), the water covering the hot dogs had literally turned to ice. This gives you an idea of just how cold it was that night and morning. Needless to say, by the time we had eaten breakfast and started to pack up camp, we found that not only was our tent covered in ice; all of our water reserves had frozen overnight as well.
We all laughed and thought this funny, while rubbing our hands together and looking for our gloves to warm us up. Even with the frosty temperatures, we all had a great time together, enjoying being outside in a natural fall setting with naught but what we packed out with us. Surrounded by the colorful trees that lost leaves with each gust of wind and the gorgeously crimson leaves that littered the ground all around us; it was one of those memorable experiences that we all shared together and will not easily forget.
I’m sure next time we go, this first camp spot of ours will be well-underwater at the bottom of a beautiful waterfall. We will all smile and remember our first backpacking adventure when we learned what it is like to camp in freezing-cold conditions, during the fall.
Believe it or not, we are planning to do more backpacking trips with the kids, we are just going to wait until spring time when it starts to warm up a bit!
More on Rose Valley to come…
Last 5 posts by Cynthia Baum
- Last Minute Christmas Shoppers Must-Read! - December 18th, 2012
- Ringing In The Heavenly! New Year - December 15th, 2012
- It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas! - December 13th, 2012
- Stairs: The Hidden Danger In RVs - November 30th, 2012
- Black Friday Camping with an RV - November 21st, 2012
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Some key things to remember for the next trip, ground insulation. Half your body heat gets sucked away by contact with the cold ground, to avoid that you need a closed cell foam sleeping mat. Warm that sleeping bag up with a hot water bottle and in the morning that water won't be frozen to cook with. Sleeping bags(winter rated) for over size campers cost a bit more but will fit one adult and one small kid together, but its still better for each to have their own. Tent style is important too adequate ventalation keeps moisture from building up on and in the tent so evaulate what you have for the next trip (you do pay for what you get).
Thanks for all the tips!
I had no idea it got so cold in November in California. I thought we had it pretty cold here in Ontario.
I think it was the first cold front of the winter and we were at about 3,600 feet in elevation. On the coast where we live, it doesn't get that cold.