There are so many wonderful opportunities for backpacking in the Pacific Northwest, but one of the best is when the snow comes to the mountains.  Finally, several days of new snow, a small snow storm and an open schedule aligned for a two night/three day snowshoe backpacking trip up to Mt. St. Helens in Washington State.

 

For this trip I traveled to the Marble Mountain Snow Park, then trekked up to Chocolate Falls.  The first ¾ of the hike was on broken trail, then it was over an hour of trudging through deep snow to where I finally made camp.  For dinner I enjoyed some Peak Refuel Chicken Pesto Pasta, enhanced with sundried tomatoes, artichokes and chanterelle mushrooms.  The next day I traversed most of the day over to June Lake where I made a more enjoyable camp and relished a grilled steak/baby corn/garlic mashed potatoes dinner with a wonderful Loowit Lager.  I finalized the trip the next morning with a hike down to Lava Canyon Road until I made it back to the Snow Park to enjoy a well-deserved rest in the Warming Hut.

 

The whole trip was about 5.7 miles, but it took hours each day to complete due to the deep snow.  What I found so enjoyable about this trip is that I have finally dialed in my winter snow backpacking skills, thus my confidence was high and I could enjoy the experience so much more as I traveled for three days only seeing two climbers the morning of the second day.

 

Thank you for watching the video.

 

 

 

1st Aid Weight (g)
1st Aid Instructions w/ Pencil 9
Aleve/Benadryl/Excedrin (x3) 6
Band-Aids – Large/Small 3
Blister Plasters 3
Burn Cream 2
Handwarmer (seasonal) 43
Leukotape 6
Nitrile Gloves (pair) 13
QuickClot Dressing 7
Shears 12
Stuff Sack – Ziplock 7
Suture 3
Triple Antibiotic Ointment 1

 

Emergency Weight (g)
Cash/Credit Card 11
Compass 27
Cordage 16
Emergency Blanket 75
GU Packet 34
Multitool 69
Potable Aqua (x2) 3
Power Supply 58
Sparking Device 8
Stuff Sack – Ziplock 8
Super Glue 8
Tenacious Tape 4
Thumb Light 10
Tinder Quick (x4) 2
Trail Markers 15
Whistle 6
Zipties (x2) 4

 

Backpack & Accessories Weight (g)
Backpack – Shadowlight 60 942
Backpack Cover (60L) 118
Bear Mace 131
Consolidated Waste Bag 13
Electrolytes 13
Garmin inReach 112
HeroClip w/ Strap 24
Hydration Hose 72
iPhone w/ case 202
Lip Balm w/ Sunscreen 8
REI Hipbelt 48
Sawyer 1L Bladder – Full 987
Sleeping Pad – Closed Foam (OV) 61
Snow Shovel – Large 626
Stool 343
Sunblock 32
Sunglasses w/ Case 64
ThinOptics w/ Case 18
Tyvek Ground Cloth 38

 

Campsite Kit Weight (g)
Battery Pack – Nitecore 151
Charging Cables 16
Glass Cleaner (x2) 3
Hangtime Hook 47
Headlamp 54
Headphones 13
Hot Hands Packs (x6) 134
Pipe 34
Pipe Tobacco 14
Reading Glasses w/ case 36
Stuff Sack – Grey 25

 

Clothing Weight (g)
Active Insulation Hoodie – OV 259
Balaclava – Synthetic 64
Beenie – Synthetic 34
Booties – Down 133
Down Jacket – Cold Weather 572
Down Pants 240
Gloves – Powerstretch 71
Gloves – Shell – Outdoor Research 24
Long Underwear – Bottom – Brynje 154
Long Underwear – Bottom – Dragonwool 287
Long Underwear – Bottom – Weatherproof 234
Long Underwear – Top – Brynje 167
Long Underwear – Top – Weatherproof 233
Mittens – Down – Gordini 213
Patella Wraps (pair) 75
Socks – Boot (Injinji) 87
Socks – Calf (REI) 72
Socks – Calf (Smart Wool) 80
Stuff Sack – Blue Compression Bag 81

 

Fire Building Weight (g)
Bellow 20
Esbit Tabs (x3) 40
Firesticks (x3) 49
Hand Saw – Full 175
Hatchet w/ Sheath 230
Leather Gloves 91
Lighter 16
Stuff Sack – Red 21

 

Food Preparation Weight (g)
Bandana – Blue 34
Collapsible Mug 71
DCF Food Bag – Large 56
Elastic Band 9
Folding Knife 54
Food Bag Hanging Kit 54
Fork 21
Grill Grate 86
Jetboil Fuel 171
Jetboil Stove – Stash 210
Lighter 17
Long Handle Spoon 19
Sea2Summit Bowl 81
Stuff Sack – Mesh 14
Toe Warmers 26

 

Footwear & Outerwear Weight (g)
Gaiters – Over the Calf 193
Hat – Marmot 53
Hiking Boots – Oboz 1183
Rain Jacket – Columbia 436
Rain Pants – Columbia 342
Snowshoes – Atlas 1561
Tensa Trekking Treez 726
Yak Trax 304

 

Hydration Weight (g)
Bottle Funnel 12
Cinoc 2L Bladder 80
Sawyer 1L Bladder 29
Stuff Sack – Yellow 15

 

Day/Meal Item Weight (g)
#1 – Breakfast Civilization 0
#1 – Snack Trail Mix 646
#1 – Lunch Sandwich 0
#1 – Dinner Steak, Potatoes, Corn 524
#1 – Drink Beer 486
#1 – Before Bed Sleepy Chai or Broth 14
#2 – Breakfast Oatmeal w/ Fruit Bar; Tea w/ Sugar 93
#2 – Snack Trail Mix 0
#2 – Lunch Top Ramen w/ Mushrooms 91
#2 – Dinner Chicken Pesto Pasta 197
#2 – Drink Beer 493
#2 – Before Bed Sleepy Chai or Broth 13
#3 – Breakfast Oatmeal w/ Strawberries; Tea w/ Sugar 70
#3 – Snack Trail Mix 0
#3 – Lunch Civilization 0

 

Personal Hygiene Weight (g)
Earplugs 1
Multivitamin (x1/day)/Toothpaste (x2/day) 9
Powdered Cotton Ball (x1/day) 3
Stuff Sack – Orange 20
Toilet Kit (x1/day) 50
Toothbrush 7

 

Shelter Weight (g)
Hammock – Ridgerunner (blue) 253
Ridgerunner Spreader Bars (carbon fiber) 181
Spindrift Sock (yellow) 332
Stake – Snow – REI (x8) 218
Tarp – Kammock Full w/ Skins 450
Tree Straps – Dutchware 188

 

Sleep Weight (g)
Pillow 70
Stuff Sack – Green Compression Bag 88
Top Quilt – Outdoor Vitals – 0° 841
Under Quilt – Warbonnet – 0° 629