Page 76 - WCM 2019 Winter

Conquering Your Camping Chill
Overnight Comfort With Style Story and Photos by William Clunie
Stark but colorful landscapes, and clean horizons offer winter campers stunning scenery.
“Real freedom lies in wildness, not in civilization.”
~Charles Lindbergh
From the moment I lit the fire in the camp stove and watched the tempera- ture gauge inside the tipi slide up to around 80 degrees, I knew this winter camping was the stuff for me. My first thought was, “It can’t be done, not with temperatures outside at a brisk three below zero.” I was so wrong.
Choose Your Shelter
On this particular trip, I sat in a specially-built lightweight tipi, in battle dress uniform pants and a t-shirt, while the wind and snow swirled out of control just outside the door. The tipi fit easily into a backpack, and provided us with the means to stay oh so warm and comfy in this harsh environment.
Some folks prefer heavier, canvas wall tents for winter camping, while others prefer lighter shelters because they hike in to remote locations. In that in- stance, carrying a canvas tent, plus heavy gear, on your back is not an option. I don’t hike as much as I used to, but I am thinking about using a canvas tent in the near future. But for that, I will be loading my gear onto a cargo sled and towing it in behind a snowmobile.
But with either the lightweight tipi, or the heavier canvas tent, winter camp- ing can be completely comfortable and enjoyable – even in the harshest, coldest, snowiest winter weather that Western Maine can dish out. Next, you’ll need to assemble some other equipment to make things cozy when the temperatures take a tumble down.
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