Managed to get out one more time this winter and stayed closer to home.
It was a quick one; Friday afternoon until Sunday morning.
It was actually last weekend and I am only posting now after consolidating photos from others. I had forgot my camera! D-oh!![[rolleyes]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/042.gif "Roll Eyes [rolleyes]")
This time we went to Stoddard, NH near the Monadnock Sunapee Greenway.
My buddy Robbie, who normally brings enough gear, equipment and food for three men managed to pare down his load to support only two.
The hike in was short, only taking about ten minutes.
The trail was well packed due to an adventure race the weekend prior.
It was easy going; no need for snow shoes or micro spikes.
Because of the thaw just before the trip, establishing a firm, flat base for the tipi was a challenge.
While the trail in was firmly packed, the lesser traveled areas still caused us to post-hole.
The adventure racers had left many small depressions around the area from their snow shoes - it looked almost like the moon might.
We debated about simply leveling the spot we wanted or digging down to make the surface flat.
Normally we can just stomp down the area and wait for it to set up, but in this case, with snow shoes on, you made barely a mark, yet without them you sank in 18".
Even after breaking up the surface of the snow with shovels, it would not pack down with snow shoes. We decided to go with with leveling.
After leveling the the high side over to the low side, we found that we still needed to build up a little to get the area we needed.
After erecting the tipi it was time to go gather wood.
The property was a woodlot and finding standing dead wood was a challenge. Most of the trees were young growth and healthy.
Most of the stuff on the ground was covered in snow or had been soaked during the recent thaw.
While out searching for wood, we ran across a pine tree which had been ravaged by a porcupine.
Maybe this will be dry wood next year?
The porcupine certaily ate his fill as there was scat all over the place.
The host brought out his "big puppy" for everyone to enjoy.
The property owner had a Yurt on the land and it was a nice place to gather that would hold everyone who came out for the weekend.
We spent the afternoon hanging targets and greeting others as they made their way into camp.
The next morning (as forcasted) it began to rain. Between the beginning bands of rain, we went out to gather another load of wood - I'm glad we did!
As the day progressed the rain became heavier and more steady. Not a downpour, but enough where I didn't feel like going outside and getting wet.
Others in the camp did do some hiking around the area and seemed to enjoy themselves.
A few of us stayed behind and cooked, discussed gear and kept up with the daily chores.
For one, we dug down a little bit to make the inside of the tipi more comfortable.
There were a few guns around. We spent some time with them fielding Q&As. Even after hanging the targets, no one wanted to go shooting in the rain.
The day(s) began to run together and I can't recall who cooked what when, but there was the typical sausage.
A warm drink on a cold wet day is a must.
And at some point John cooked up a nice batch of pancakes with chocolate pieces.
Despite being a short, wet weekend, I believed everyone had a good time.
I didn't personally practice any additional field-craft skills or do any shooting, but if nothing else the time spent practicing the bivouac routine tasks and visiting with friends was worth it.
It was a quick one; Friday afternoon until Sunday morning.
It was actually last weekend and I am only posting now after consolidating photos from others. I had forgot my camera! D-oh!
This time we went to Stoddard, NH near the Monadnock Sunapee Greenway.
My buddy Robbie, who normally brings enough gear, equipment and food for three men managed to pare down his load to support only two.
The hike in was short, only taking about ten minutes.
The trail was well packed due to an adventure race the weekend prior.
It was easy going; no need for snow shoes or micro spikes.
Because of the thaw just before the trip, establishing a firm, flat base for the tipi was a challenge.
While the trail in was firmly packed, the lesser traveled areas still caused us to post-hole.
The adventure racers had left many small depressions around the area from their snow shoes - it looked almost like the moon might.
We debated about simply leveling the spot we wanted or digging down to make the surface flat.
Normally we can just stomp down the area and wait for it to set up, but in this case, with snow shoes on, you made barely a mark, yet without them you sank in 18".
Even after breaking up the surface of the snow with shovels, it would not pack down with snow shoes. We decided to go with with leveling.
After leveling the the high side over to the low side, we found that we still needed to build up a little to get the area we needed.
After erecting the tipi it was time to go gather wood.
The property was a woodlot and finding standing dead wood was a challenge. Most of the trees were young growth and healthy.
Most of the stuff on the ground was covered in snow or had been soaked during the recent thaw.
While out searching for wood, we ran across a pine tree which had been ravaged by a porcupine.
Maybe this will be dry wood next year?
The porcupine certaily ate his fill as there was scat all over the place.
The host brought out his "big puppy" for everyone to enjoy.
The property owner had a Yurt on the land and it was a nice place to gather that would hold everyone who came out for the weekend.
We spent the afternoon hanging targets and greeting others as they made their way into camp.
The next morning (as forcasted) it began to rain. Between the beginning bands of rain, we went out to gather another load of wood - I'm glad we did!
As the day progressed the rain became heavier and more steady. Not a downpour, but enough where I didn't feel like going outside and getting wet.
Others in the camp did do some hiking around the area and seemed to enjoy themselves.
A few of us stayed behind and cooked, discussed gear and kept up with the daily chores.
For one, we dug down a little bit to make the inside of the tipi more comfortable.
There were a few guns around. We spent some time with them fielding Q&As. Even after hanging the targets, no one wanted to go shooting in the rain.
The day(s) began to run together and I can't recall who cooked what when, but there was the typical sausage.
A warm drink on a cold wet day is a must.
And at some point John cooked up a nice batch of pancakes with chocolate pieces.
Despite being a short, wet weekend, I believed everyone had a good time.
I didn't personally practice any additional field-craft skills or do any shooting, but if nothing else the time spent practicing the bivouac routine tasks and visiting with friends was worth it.
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![[shocked]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/007.gif "Shocked [shocked]")
. It turned out to be a friendly dog that stayed with me for the rest of the night and most of the next day ![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
. Fortunately I didn't need the spare underware I packed, but for a minute there I figured I had a really, really serious problem.
