I really appreciate that my wife is supportive of my Sierra habit. Although there are limits to what even the most understanding partner will ‘understand’, she has been ok with most of my week+ long trips each summer. A few years ago she started to show some interest in going camping (she calls it camping) together.
Our first experience was a short trip to Little Yosemite Valley with a side trip to Half Dome ( Yosemite: Panorama Trail, October 8th – 10th, 2010″ ). Later we did a short section of the JMT together ( John Muir Trail: Tuolumne Meadows to Devils Postpile 2011 ) and even a slightly longer North Lake – South Lake trip in 2012.
Over the past few years she has warmed up to the idea of taking an overnight trip in the winter. We kept it simple at first by starting in the local mountains last spring. Unfortunately she needs a lot more insulation than I do and the first night she was cold in a 15 degree bag even while wearing a Mirage down jacket and down booties/mitts etc (it got down to 24 that night).
This time I was determined to make sure that she stayed warm. Her winter sleep system included a silk base layer, synthetic mid layer, Montbell Frostline Parka, 15 degree bag inside a size large 15 degree MYOG quilt, silk liner socks, thick wool socks, synthetic balaclava, merino glove liners, Blackrock down mitts, booties and beanie, chemical warmers and two hot water bottles. This time she was actually too hot by the middle of the night. Success!
I slept in shorts and a MYOG 25 degree quilt.
After staying at the Wowona Hotel the first night we followed the well packed trails to Dewey Point and camped overlooking El Capitan and the rest of Yosemite below.
It snowed most of the first day:
Bundled up:
In the morning it had cleared up and we enjoyed some great views:
View from Dewey Point:
Shorts in the winter?
Clear morning on the hike out:
It was fun doing some winter camping together. Now that her winter gear is dialed in I think we will be back for more overnight winter trips soon.
(edited to fix links)
