How do you make winter backpacking more enjoyable?

[USA Duane Hall]

The last five, six years, I've been doing more group trips in the winter. Learned a few things from our N Ca group, as before, I was self taught like my summer trips. Others around really help pass the time, if going solo, I stomp around camp then when I go to bed, I have my headlamp and read a little. I've started using those chemical heat packs put into my boots or down booties, although I think another sit pad used just to place my feet on when sitting around the kitchen would help.
Duane

[Chris Morgan]

Wow, these are all great ideas, thanks.

To clarify, I have done a bit of winter backpacking, I'm more curious as to the nifty tricks that make things more fun. Here's a list of the more novel ideas so far:

1) Hot water bottles in the shoes – brilliant!

2) Digging a hole in the snow in front of your tent for cooking and feet dangling – nice!

3) The TiGoat wood stove – I so wish!

[David Chenault]

Hike in the dark. Make dinner at 4pm, keep trucking for 3-4 hours, stop, make camp, make soup, eat soup, sleep.

Get out and do it, the only way to realize it isn't a big deal.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

One of the ways I make winter camping enjoyable and memorable is to take my Backpacker's Pantry baking oven components (fiberglass "yurt" hood, pot lid W/ BP's aneroid baking thermometer lid handle, diffuser plate).

Baking a 3-cup size Bisquick roll with a jelly center is great and many cake and muffin mixes require no raw eggs. Milk can be mixed in a Nalgene or bike bottle and added if necessary. Oils, always important in a winter diet, can come from melted stick margarine, which travels well in the winter.

You can't imagine how grateful fellow snow campers are to have you bake up a dessert.

[Author]

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