Okay, I already mentioned fuel consumption and melting snow for water. I hate melting snow for water! Its time consuming, fuel consuming work. Just when you have collected all your snow in a stuff sack, melted and heated it, and started to enjoy a hot cup of cocoa you see a snowshoe hare plopping through your camp. Thats when it dawns on you, "Hey, I don't remember buying cocoa with mini marshmallows in it..."
There must be alternative sources of water in the winter, and there are. For starters, you can always try digging down into the snowpack at the foot of a small draw or ravine if one is nearby. Theres a chance water will be flowing at the bottom. Be avalanche aware though, running water isn't worth triggering a snowslide.
Don't forget about the rivers: even in the coldest winters the rivers in Alaska are flowing; they may be completely covered over in ice, or they may pressure up underneath the ice and break out--sending overflow water out over top of the ice. More often that not, though, you will be able to find open leads of running water....take advantage of it. Many of our campsites will be along rivers on this trip, and I will be looking for open water. When I find it, I'm going fishing. I have a Nalgene with 2 small holes drilled into it, and a piece of wire passed through the holes attached to a ring. I also have a 25 foot piece of light line with a small carabiner on the end. Get upstream of the lead and throw the Nalgene into the river, let it fill with water and then retrieve it. I have a small 10 liter bag made by Granite Gear that is completely waterproof--which means that it will also hold water in it! Fill it as much as you like, roll the top and head for camp. You can forget about melting snow tonight. Everything fits neatly inside the Nalgene when you are done, just let it all set up frozen, whack the ice off it, and pack it away. You can cut your fuel consumption considerably using this handy tool and have more time to do what you want. A gallon of fuel weighs 8 pounds, this kit weighs about 6 ounces and will eliminate hours of tedium. Using the sun is also a viable way of melting water if the conditions allow. Snow shoveled onto a dark tarp or your tents footprint will melt, just have a proper container slightly downhill to catch it. If the temperature is agreeable and the sun is out, our black sleds will be a perfect container to utilize this method.
It is also possible to use the snowpack as an insulator and bury snow in your pots until the morning. When I ski trip on frozen lakes, I actually haul an auger and drill for water, then I cover the hole with a small piece of ensolite pad and heap snow on top of that. I have a watering hole for as long as I like, and this system has worked even in brutally cold conditions.Options to melting snow exist if you are willing to experiment and work in a different direction.
There must be alternative sources of water in the winter, and there are. For starters, you can always try digging down into the snowpack at the foot of a small draw or ravine if one is nearby. Theres a chance water will be flowing at the bottom. Be avalanche aware though, running water isn't worth triggering a snowslide.
Don't forget about the rivers: even in the coldest winters the rivers in Alaska are flowing; they may be completely covered over in ice, or they may pressure up underneath the ice and break out--sending overflow water out over top of the ice. More often that not, though, you will be able to find open leads of running water....take advantage of it. Many of our campsites will be along rivers on this trip, and I will be looking for open water. When I find it, I'm going fishing. I have a Nalgene with 2 small holes drilled into it, and a piece of wire passed through the holes attached to a ring. I also have a 25 foot piece of light line with a small carabiner on the end. Get upstream of the lead and throw the Nalgene into the river, let it fill with water and then retrieve it. I have a small 10 liter bag made by Granite Gear that is completely waterproof--which means that it will also hold water in it! Fill it as much as you like, roll the top and head for camp. You can forget about melting snow tonight. Everything fits neatly inside the Nalgene when you are done, just let it all set up frozen, whack the ice off it, and pack it away. You can cut your fuel consumption considerably using this handy tool and have more time to do what you want. A gallon of fuel weighs 8 pounds, this kit weighs about 6 ounces and will eliminate hours of tedium. Using the sun is also a viable way of melting water if the conditions allow. Snow shoveled onto a dark tarp or your tents footprint will melt, just have a proper container slightly downhill to catch it. If the temperature is agreeable and the sun is out, our black sleds will be a perfect container to utilize this method.
It is also possible to use the snowpack as an insulator and bury snow in your pots until the morning. When I ski trip on frozen lakes, I actually haul an auger and drill for water, then I cover the hole with a small piece of ensolite pad and heap snow on top of that. I have a watering hole for as long as I like, and this system has worked even in brutally cold conditions.Options to melting snow exist if you are willing to experiment and work in a different direction.
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