Winter in Nordhouse Dunes Feb. 2013

 My friend Brett and I decided to backpack Nordhouse Dunes wilderness area in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan in February.  We have both been to Nordhouse many times but never in the winter.  We felt this would be a good location to test our winter skills.  We arrived at the trailhead around 10pm.  It was snowing and the temperature was in the teens.  We could hear the wind and waves crashing in the distance as we loaded up the sled and headed into the backcountry.  I had been awake since 3:30am as I had to work a 12 hour shift at work.  I was energized because I was back in the wild again.

All loaded up

Our hike in was slower than normal due to the snowfall and pulling the sled.  Each of us took turns pulling and the other would assist by pushing when climbing hills.  Brett wanted to use the same site he camped at for a week in the summer so he lead the way.  Once we arrived at the site, I was ready to settle down in front of a fire.  However, the wind was howling and it was even worse when I climbed the small dune ridge that was sheltering the site.  It took some time to rig up the large tarp that would be our shelter.  Eventually we got it rigged in a low A-frame and set out our thermarests and sleeping bags.  We decided not to have a fire since it was close to 1am and the wind was fierce.  We both turned in for the night.

What a rough night!  The flapping of the tarp kept me awake.  Eventually I fell asleep but soon after I awoke because I was shivering.  Not cool!  I managed to crawl out of my sleeping bag, use the restroom and reposition my sleeping bag on my thermarest.  I also ate a homemade granola bar for some extra calories.  These actions made me warmer.  Just after dawn I awoke with cold feet and I decided to get up.  I figured to would go look for a new site and attempt to get a fire started.  Walking around warmed me up and I managed to find a nice site around the corner from where we spent Friday night.  This new site was in a horseshoe shaped valley and had makeshift benches around a fire pit.  It also had a shelter frame made from cut saplings that someone lashed to trees.  We eventually took this frame down using the poles for firewood and the lashing rope to tweak our tarp shelter.

I started moving my gear to the new site.  Brett was sound alseep and I didn't want to disturb him.  I figured he would agree with the new campsite.  I managed to find a downed sassafras tree.  Sassafras has an oil in the wood that makes it burn easily and catch fire even when wet.  I collected as much sassafras as I could and brought it to the new campsite.  Now I had to look for some dry tinder.  Brett said he packed some pre-made tinder bundles but I did not want to disturb his slumber.  Everything was covered in a half foot of snow.  I managed to find some slightly damp leaves under one of the makeshift benches.  I piled these up and a few caught fire from my lighter.  There was a very small flame from the leaves and it managed to ignite some of the sassafras twigs.  FIRE!!!  YES!!!!  This was a huge morale boost because the whole time I was thinking of Jack London's "To Build a Fire".  After the fire was banked and a small tarp set up on the shelter frame, I set to making my breakfast.  I scrambled some fresh eggs, which had frozen during the night, and

I made some coffee.  I thought I heard my name being called so I made my way back to our old site with a steaming cup of coffee in hand.  Brett was glad to see me since he was a little disturbed to wake up and find me and my gear missing!  I quickly told him about the new campsite, the roaring fire and I offered him a sip of my coffee. 

We spent the rest of the day gathering firewood in between the constant heavy snow squalls.  We managed to set up the tarp shelter in a better configuration.  At one point the wind changed direction and blew into the tarp.  We changed the shelter up a bit so to better protect ourselves from future wind direction changes.

New campsite and shelter

We decided that we had enough wood stored for awhile and thought we might take a walk down to the lake.  The wind was ferocious and the vapor from our breathing froze in little droplets on our beards.  An ice sheet extended from the shore 50 yards or so.  There were little ice mountains here and there and also coves in the ice sheet where the waves would crash and splash freezing water into the sky.  We only went out a few yards because the ice became bright blue and we saw some standing water on top of the ice.  We did not want to risk breaking through.  We decided earlier in the day that melting snow for water would be a better option than trying to get water from Lake Michigan.  We were right!  We only spent about a half hour on the shore because we saw some menacing clouds working their way towards shore.  We returned to the peace and tranquility of camp to prepare for the next snow squall.  

reflector behind campfire

The evening proved to be much nicer than the one before.  We prepared an early dinner to take advantage of daylight and settled in next to the fire.   It seemed warmer in this campsite despite the evening temperatures falling into the single digits before wind chill.  We rigged up a reflector for the fire from an emergency blanket.  We think it helped a little in keeping our campsite warm.  After Brett turned in for the night I enjoyed the quiet stillness of the woods in winter.  I watched the flames of the fire as I made myself a second dinner.  I ate more for my second dinner than the first making sure I had plenty of calories on board for the long, cold night.  When I  crawled into my sleeping bag, I made sure to toss 3 hand warmers into the bottom, put on one more pair of socks and put on a second pair of long underwear.  I knew this would be our coldest night and I was not taking any chances.  I slept most of the night and only awoke once or twice.  Each time was when the top of my sleeping bag opened slightly allowing a draft. 

The next morning I awoke to very cold temperatures.  I peeked my head out and watched the day begin.  I mustered up the energy to free myself from my warm cocoon.  I quickly got dressed and tried to put my boots on.  They were frozen solid and after much effort they eventually popped onto my feet.  I had to walk around the campsite for a few minutes to soften them up enough to tie the laces.  I took a walk down to the lake to further thaw my boots and warm myself up a bit.  The sun was shining through the trees and onto the lake.  It was a beautiful morning and I walked about a mile down the shore.  Dark clouds were gathering and it appeared that another snow squall was on its way.  I made my way back to camp and found Brett packing up.  We decided to make coffee, have a cold breakfast and hike out ASAP.  We did not want to get caught in another snow storm. We made it back to the car and were surprised to find about 4 other cars in the lot.  I guess we were not alone in the frozen wilderness!  We definitely learned some lessons on this trip and we agreed that Nordhouse Dunes is much more hospitable in the warmer months!

Sharp Things Part 2: Adventure Sharps

Most people would agree that a cutting tool is essential for the wilderness.  There are many theories on what people should take.  I have seen as little as a razor blade and as big as a full sized South American machete toted as essential cutting tools for the wilderness.  I remember my Ranger at Philmont Scout Ranch telling our group that only 1 pocket knife was needed for 12 people.  She obviously didn't know Boy Scouts very well!  What I carry into the wilderness varies for the type of trip, time of year and intended activities on the trip.  What I carry for a paddling trip is sometimes different for a hiking trip.  Weight matters less when paddling compared to hiking. 

SAK Swiss Champ and Survival Kit

I always have some sort of multi tool.  A SAK Swiss Champ with the double pouch survival kit was my first multi tool and it was a Christmas present from my parents when I was in my teens.  The total package was standard equipment for every campout in Scouting and it was kept in my car for years.  The knife went with me on my NOLS Yukon course and also to Philmont Scout Ranch.  When I want a lighter and slimmer package I go for the Gerber MP 400.  However, I have been reevaluating the survival kit I carry separately in my pack.  The SAK with survival pouch contains everything I need and it rides on my belt.  If I get separated from my pack I still have a lot of stuff to help me survive.  So for the time being I am ditching the survival kit in my pack and only going with the SAK kit for hiking trips.  Paddling trips are different so both kits are carried.  I will list the SAK survival pouch contents below.

KaBar Dozier folder

Mora Classic #2

I also carry a larger blade for basic cutting tasks.  On paddling trips I like to have as little in my pockets and on my belt as possible.  This makes it easier and quicker to facilitate swimming breaks.  The less I have to remove from my belt and pockets the quicker I can get into the water!  With less on my belt it makes it easier to move about the canoe to access the cooler for a frosty beverage or snack.  I have carried my Ka-Bar folder clipped in my pocket and a Blackie Collins Buddy knife around my neck.  Both are stainless steel and are easily attached or removed from my person.  Recently on paddling and hiking trips, I have been carrying a Mora Classic #2 around my neck with the sheath modified to carry a few basic survival items.  I did some work on the handle as you can see from the pic.  I removed the red paint and stained the handle with homemade black walnut dye.  The contents of the Mora sheath are listed below.

Western W49 Bowie

I also take a long a chopping tool.  This has taken many forms over the years.  My love affair of big blades began with a Western W49 Bowie Knife.  This knife accompanied me on most Scouting campouts as my Scoutmaster was cool with sheath knives.  It also went along on an infamous AuSable canoe trip just after high school.  My bowie knife helped us flip burgers and prepare fire wood to help warm up a friend suffering from hypothermia.  My high school friends still speak of The Big Knife whenever we reminisce about the trip! 

Another big knife that I fell in love with was the parang from Malaysia.  My wife introduced me to the indigenous big knife of her country.  Parangs are designed as a multi-purpose tool with different parts of the blade suited for specific tasks.  The front portion is used for skinning game.  The area just after the curve is for chopping and the long straight section of the blade is used for batoning/splitting and like a draw knife.  The geometry of the blade makes for efficient chopping of woody plant material.  The jungle in Malaysia is more of a woody jungle compared to jungles of south america.  I had the opportunity to test a parang in the Malaysian jungle and was instantly sold on its effectiveness at chopping and batoning wood.  The parang in the picture is the first one I bought.  I have several others all much bigger than this one but all are effective chopping tools.

My first parang

Gerber Hatchet with paracord wrap

  Occasionally I will take a small hatchet instead of the parang to practice using a different type of chopping tool.  I have had a Gerber sport axe since I was in Scouts.  It survived the abuse of a young scout and went with me when I lead wilderness trips for the YMCA.  I keep my hatchet very sharp and it excels at chopping and splitting small logs.  I have a fear of splitting logs with a hatchet as I missed my mark once and almost chopped off my finger.  I have a cool scar on my index finger to remember the event.  That is why I prefer batoning with large blades over splitting with a hatchet.

On almost all paddling trips and sometimes hiking trips I take along some sort of saw.  Lately it has been a cheap bow saw I picked up at a gas station in rural Maine.  The blade was crap so I replaced it with a good quality one that cost more than the saw!  Having a saw allows me to process larger logs to more manageable sizes for batoning or splitting. 

There you have it folks!  To summarize, I carry a multi-tool, larger knife, chopping tool and saw on most paddling and hiking trips.  Some would argue that this is too much.  I like to have options in the wilderness and tools give you options.  Below is a list of contents for the SAK survival kit and Mora knife sheath kit.

SAK Sheath Kit:
Flashlight
Sharpening Stone
Compass with thermometer, ruler, level, and magnifying glass
signal mirror
bandaids
whistle
bic ligher and BSA Hotspark fire steel
Fishing Kit
safety pin and sewing kit

Mora Sheath Kit
BSA Hotspark fire steel
small ziplock with magnesium shavings
sewing kit and safety pin
rubber bike inner tube: holds contents to sheath and used as tinder
bank line 
paracord neck lanyard