New England-area GTG #2: Winter Wonderland

I would like to wake up in time for the sunrise sunday, sounds like an awesome plan. Just wondering if my cozy warm self will be able to rise out of the sleeping bag into the cold morning. Now I need to find my alarm watch.

we'll send Lupus around to rouse everyone from their slumber =P

I'm down for sunrise wake-up as well, I'm pretty sure my friends will be as well.

Ryan Email sent.

My brother and I will both be good for a sunrise at the summit ! You can always sleep when you're dead, but you can't always catch a good sunrise. The temps keep going down everytime I come on this forum….I know I'm good down to 0* so hopefully my raw animal willpower will help out with any extra temp drops!

Food will get that extra 5 degrees for sure. That is why I love winter, no one looks at me funny when I am on my 3rd meal of the day by noon becuase they are too.

Bring lots of hot chocolate, too. Hot cocoa with butter = the best.

Sorry fellow BPLers,

Looks like I won't be able to make it for the weekend hike. Bryce, ping me, when another one gets planned though. Have fun you all! I'll look forward to your pics and report afterwards.

Roleigh

with butter?

also, latest Saturday night is showing a low of -10F, and 6" of snow over the weekend!

keep sending the vibes!

Roleigh, bummer, perhaps March? I'd like to get out to the Catskills, may be easier for you?

Yes. You'll see. Winter backpacking is like instant through-hiker appetite. Gotta get those calories (especially before bedtime so you stay warm).

so you carry out sticks of butter with you?

I've got enough long term storage to go through I won't bother =P

If the maybes could chime in a and let us know one way or the other it would be appreciated.

COMING and ETA's

Jeremy 9-10pm
Steven 10pm
Steven's Roomate +1 10pm
Lupus (on all 4) 10pm
Bryce 1:30pm
Clint 12pm
Ryan 12pm
Matt ?
Seth 1:30pm
Daniel (Seth's Brother) 1:30pm
Adam ?

MAYBE
Steven's +2?
Jim MacDiarmid (ride from NYC or only one night)
Curtis B.

Not Coming
Barry
Roleigh
Douglas Ide
Walter Carrington
Gerry Volpe

Looks like we have 11 confirmed counting Lupus. If I missed anyone or I have anyone's status wrong please let me know. I compiled this list by anyone who showed interest in going. I would like to get a accurate count of who is coming and ETA's so we are not worrying about anyone.

I am pumped up about this trip, the snow gods have spoken, this will be a WINTER WONDERLAND GTG!

Pack More Be Warm :)

Sorry, didn't realize I was being carried as a maybe. I can't make it.

Doug

No worries, I kinda just added anyone that was interested from the beginning onto the list just so we could be sure. There will be another NE GTG.

Thank you for confirming.

I'm sorry but I can't join you this time.
Have a great time and take lots of pictures.
I think I'll try a shorter, easier winter trip soon.
Prospect Mountain got 3" to 5" of new snow and this seems to be an elevation dependent storm so I'd guess more than that higher up.
Walter

Walter,

Thats cool, I understand. Thanks for getting back to me. I hope to see you again at a future GTG.

Yea I am glad there will be some new snow on the mountain, now I get to use my new snowshoes!

Clint

I should be at the trail head between 9-10. Will there be atleast one stove there for you early arrivals?

…whoops.

As for group cooking/melting, I'll only have a .9l pot with me, but my wood stove (Littlbug Jr.) will crank all night provided we gather wood together to feed it. It CRANKS heat. I will have the water bucket thingy with me.

I am game for sunrise hike to the summit…but…I am known to sleep through alarms. I will have my watch with me, but I may sleep through it. Please wake me up.

7:21am Friday (EST) – Sunrise in Glastenbury, VT

@Ryan, my bad, looked at the specs of my watch, it's only good to 14F. haha.

@Seth, see you @ 11 in Canton.

@Everyone… point forcast is down to -11F now. :o Hrmm.. a 16F bag with a 40F bag layers inside for 2.9lbs (with down pants and slippers) or a -25F bag @ 3.7oz. Thoughts?

I'll be packing tonight, but my final gear list is only 95% there.

Thanks Jeremy

I think Ryan has his whisperlite and I am bringing my canister stove.

I will not be able to make it. I just picked up my first adjunct teaching job at a local college last minute and have to have a syllabus and be current on my reading by next thursday. I will make it one of these days. Have fun

NOAA

Screw it. -25F bag it is. Heck, for all I know it’ll be -20F projected for Sat night by the time we get the the trail head. haha.

Thanks Gerry, Congrats on the teaching job.

As an Aside If you need a breather, here is a funny and poignant video I recently saw. Now that you are an adjunct professor maybe you will enjoy the quips this presenter makes about such a profession.

Good Luck

Yeah so much for me saying southern VT will be milder than ADK or whites. If it helps anyone get a little confidence, Sunday night will be even colder with clear skies. The storm added Saturday in the last 12-24 hours so it should snow some almost the entire time we are in the mountains.

Don't forget this is the mountain with the odd disappearances over the years and as my coworker pointed out tomorrow is Friday the 13th. Bring your ghost stories and be prepared to hear me scream like a girl.

Hey guys so after some careful consideration I think I need a bit of a warm up trip first. I just don't think I'm going to cover the 9-11 mile days well, this would be my first major winter backpacking trip on snowshoe and I rarely hike that far as it is now. I wouldn't say I'm lazy, just that I have limits and I wouldn't want to take forever and not enjoy myself as much. Most of my trips have been 8-9 mile days up and down peaks and I always prefer a nice 5-7 mile day when I can. I may end up doing a day hike in the high peaks this weekend instead to test out my setup, and I was thinking about trying my abused old poorly stored 0 degree bag, which only has about 5" of loft left on it, by camping near my car at a campsite closer to the road in case I'm freezing. But seeing as it is, I'm still a bit behind on gear, and have already spent too much on new boots, pants, and base layers, and my physical ability may be lacking to join you all on a nice long extended snowshoe run. Gotta test myself first! But… please keep me in mind for future winter or summer gatherings, I'd be happy to meet you guys and learn more about going lighter. Have a great weekend!

Adam

@ Clint – Yup Daniel and I are a go ! Have no idea how our bags will work out, but that's why its an easy hike – even if we spend one cold night, oh well.

@ Bryce – see you here in Canton at 11am.

@ Everyone Else — I've got a pair of MSR EVO Lightning Ascents I'll bring along just in case we need the extra pair. Think the weight max is like 170lbs or something like that.

GEAR LIST:

Winter 3 Day Sub 30 lb Gear List Glastenbury Mtn. VT -5*to 25* Winter Weekend BPL Snowshoe Trip (tested to 5*)

Tent: (28.5oz.)
• Mountain Laurel Designs Silnylon DuoMid (18 oz.)
• Mountain Laurel Designs Superlight Bivy XL (6.5 oz.)
• (6) MSR GroundHog Stakes (.5 oz. / ea)
• Gossamer Gear Polycryo Ground Sheet (1 oz.)
Backpack: (34oz.)
• ULA Circuit (Med)– (34oz.)
Mat: (14 oz.)
• GG Torso Pad (2 oz. thin version)
• Thermarest SOlite Small (9 oz.)
• CFF Sit Pad (1 oz.)
• GG Thinlight Pad (2 oz.)
Sleeping Bag: (49oz.)
• Western Mountaineering Caribou 35* Down Long – 1 lb 9oz. (25 oz.)
• LaFuma Extreme 50* Synthetic (Long) – 1 lb. 8 oz. (24 oz.)
• Instant foot warmers (2 pair)
• Instant Hand warmers (1 pair)
Stove/Cooking Set: (24 oz.)
• Jetboil Flash 1.5 L GCS Cooking Set (21 oz.) w/ pot stand, fuel stand, wind screen, ground foil)
• Walmart Lexan Spork (1 oz.)
• Disposable Coffe Cup w/ Lid (1 oz.)
Light: (3.7 oz.)
• Photo Micro Light (0.9 oz.)
• Petzl Tikka 2 + Headlamp (2.8 oz)
Firestarting / Tools: (2.4 oz.)
• Mini Bic Lighter (1 oz.)
• Leatherman Style CS – (1.4 oz.)
Bathroom: (3oz.)
• Hand Sanitizer (1 oz.)
• Toilet Paper in Ziploc (2 oz.)
Bearproofing: (1.6 oz.)
• ZPacks Cuben Fiber Rock Bag
• BPL Aircore Pro "UrsaLite" Dyneema Bear Bag Cord – (1.3oz/50ft) w/ Nite-Ize #2 Biner
Pack liners / Raincovers: (1.5oz.)
• Trash Compactor Bag (1.5 oz.)
Clothing:
1. Outer Layer: (28 oz.)
• Montbell UL Wind Jacket (4 oz.)
• Montbell UL Wind Pants (3 oz.)
• EMS Thunderhead Rain Jacket (13 oz.)
• Sierra Designs Thunderhead Rain Pants (8 oz.)
2. Underwear: (4.5 oz.)
• Brooks Running Shorts (4.5 oz)
3. Pants/Thermals: (17 oz.)
• Marmot NTS Tights (7 oz.)
• Montbell Thermawrap Pants (8 oz.)
4. Shirts/ Sweaters: (30.5 oz.)
• EMS Techwick Baselayer Midweight LS (7 oz.)
• Montbell Alpine Light Parka (Large) (13 oz.)
• Montbell Thermawrap Jacket (Large) (10.5 oz.)
5. Hats: (8oz.)
• Fleece Watch Cap (3 oz.)
• EMS Bandana (1 oz.)
• Fleece Balaclava (4 oz.)
6. Gloves: (9 oz.)
• (2)Synthetic Fleece Glove Liners (1.5 OZ/ea)
• MLD Rain Shells (1 oz.)
• EMS Altitude Waterproof Gloves (6 oz. estimate)
7. Socks: (12 oz.)
• (2) Injini NuWool Toe Socks (2 oz./ ea)
• Rocky Gore-Tex Socks (sz 14) (5 oz.)
• Acorn Fleece Socks XL (3 oz.)
8. Eyewear: ( 6 oz.)
• Sunglasses (Rx) w/ Hard Case (6 oz.)
• Eyeglasses Retainer Cord
• Lenses Cloth

Emergency / First Aid / Gear Repair (2 oz.) (extra Leukotape for Rocky Socks)

Music / Photo/Ditty Bag: (11.1 oz.)
• Sony DSC-TX10 16.2mp, HD video, iSweep Panoramic photo function – 16gb SD) (7.6 OZ. camera)
• STICKPIC MOUNT (0.5 oz.)
• Phone (3 oz.)
Water Storage / Purification: (13.6 oz.)
• SteriPen Adventurer Opti w/ Streamlight Lithium batteries (3.6 oz.)
• (2) Powerade 1 L Bottles (2 oz.)
• (2) EMS Bottle Coozies (3 oz.)
Food: (10.5 oz.)
• Sea To Summit 20 L Dry Bag (2.5 oz.)
• Mini Flasks (16 oz. Soda Bottle w/ 8 oz. Jameson)
Footwear / Gaiters: (s) = summer (52.3 oz.)
• Salomon XA Pro 3D Trail Running Shoes (43.5 oz. / pair – size 14)
w/ SOLE Dean Karnazes Signature Insoles for Ultra-Marathons – extra support and cushion
• EMS Summit Gaiters XL (9 oz.)
Trekking Poles: (16oz.)
• BD Trail Ergo Cork 145cm Flick Lock, (16 oz./pair)
Snowshoes: (48 oz.)
• MSR Evo Ascent (3 lb / pair)

Total = 429.7 OZ. (26.85 LBS) Base Weight FSO (FROM SKIN OUT)

Total Worn / Carried: (170.5 oz. = 10.65 lbs)
Footwear / Gaiters: (52.5 oz.)
• Salomon XA Pro 3D Trail Running Shoes (43.5 oz. / pair – size 14)
w/ SOLE Dean Karnazes Signature Insoles for Ultra-Marathons – extra support and cushion
• EMS Summit Gaiters XL (9 oz.)
Trekking Poles: (16 oz.)
• BD Trail Ergo Cork 145cm Flick Lock (16 oz. / pair)
Clothing: (47 oz.)
• Marmot NTS Tights (7 oz.)
• EMS Techwick Baselayer Midweight LS (7 oz.)
• Montbell Windshirt (4 oz.)
• Injinji Toe Socks (2 oz.)
• Rocky Gore-Tex Socks (sz 14) (5 oz.)
• EMS Thunderhead Jacket (13 oz.)
• Sierrea Designs Thunderhead Pants (8 oz.)
• Brooks Running Shorts (4.5 oz)
• Fleece Hat (2 oz.)
• Synthetic Liner Gloves (1.5 oz.)
Snowshoes: (48 oz.)
• MSR Evo Ascent (3 lb / pair estimate)

*Overall Base Pack Weight Carried = 16.2 lbs

• FOOD: 72 hrs = 5 lbs @ 2 lbs per day (80 oz.)
• FUEL: (200g canister) = 9 oz.
• WATER: 1 L = 2.2 lbs Carried at a time (35 oz.)
-→ Total Consumables = 7.76 lbs (124 oz.)

TOTAL PACK WEIGHT FOR 3 Day TRIP = 23.9 LBS (SUB 30 LBS GOAL FOR 3 DAYS FOOD/H20)