Myself and 4 other guys recently had an experience that most riders probably think about but few are actually prepared for. We were riding on the back side of the Snowy Range last weekend and ended up spending half the night there. At about 2:30 pm, as a storm was coming in, (lightning and thunder along with snow and wind) we had a sled go down and wouldn't start back up. As we tried to get it going, the visibility went from excellent to zero in a matter of less than 10 minutes. We decided to leave the sled and come back in the morning. I'm very familiar with the area and tried to ride out, but barely see the sled 2 feet behind me. I've been in low visibility conditions there before, but never like this. We found a spot that was drifted enough to dig a cave and start a fire. We cut up several dead trees and had plenty of wood to burn. We stayed there until about 1:00 am, when the moon became visible and although it was still blowing hard, we were able to see well enough to ride out.
I felt that I was very prepared for spending a night out, and had everything we needed to stay warm while we waited for the storm to blow through. Here are some things I learned:
1 Even though there was rock all around us, we apparently built the fire in a hole and it kept sinking down. Dig down and build the fire right on a rock.
2 Cut some branches to lay on the floor as a barrier from the snow. Your backpack is not big enough to lay on and gets very uncomfortable after a couple hours.
3 A space blanket does help hold in heat. A second one to lay under you and on top of the branches would also be beneficial.
4 That cooking stove made out of a beer can and rubbing alcohol that was in a SW forum a while back works great in good weather. It did NOT work. Even in the snow cave where it was shielded from wind, it wouldn't light.
5 Tampons (or socks) soaked in rubbing alcohol work great as a fire starter and will burn for several minutes.
6 Don't assume everyone is as prepared as you. Make sure everyone in the group has an extra dry layer of clothing, socks and gloves. Also, a shovel, saw, space blanket, lighter and/or matches, tampons (or other fire starters). While the pop can can stove didn't work, I'm very glad I had rubbing alcohol. I will also be looking into a more weather-resistant backpacking stove to heat water and some sort of warm food.
Luckily, the temp was in the low 30s -high 20s and even after the fire sank down enough that it wouldn't burn anymore, it remained above freezing in the cave. We were all cold, but no one got bad hypothermia or frostbite. I was an eye opening experience, and I hope that it will encourage others to be better prepared.
I felt that I was very prepared for spending a night out, and had everything we needed to stay warm while we waited for the storm to blow through. Here are some things I learned:
1 Even though there was rock all around us, we apparently built the fire in a hole and it kept sinking down. Dig down and build the fire right on a rock.
2 Cut some branches to lay on the floor as a barrier from the snow. Your backpack is not big enough to lay on and gets very uncomfortable after a couple hours.
3 A space blanket does help hold in heat. A second one to lay under you and on top of the branches would also be beneficial.
4 That cooking stove made out of a beer can and rubbing alcohol that was in a SW forum a while back works great in good weather. It did NOT work. Even in the snow cave where it was shielded from wind, it wouldn't light.
5 Tampons (or socks) soaked in rubbing alcohol work great as a fire starter and will burn for several minutes.
6 Don't assume everyone is as prepared as you. Make sure everyone in the group has an extra dry layer of clothing, socks and gloves. Also, a shovel, saw, space blanket, lighter and/or matches, tampons (or other fire starters). While the pop can can stove didn't work, I'm very glad I had rubbing alcohol. I will also be looking into a more weather-resistant backpacking stove to heat water and some sort of warm food.
Luckily, the temp was in the low 30s -high 20s and even after the fire sank down enough that it wouldn't burn anymore, it remained above freezing in the cave. We were all cold, but no one got bad hypothermia or frostbite. I was an eye opening experience, and I hope that it will encourage others to be better prepared.
. Then, after that, thought we'd be camping in the parking lot!
