Colorado Trail Hike 01-05-10 pt2

After waking up the second day I was greeted with wind, clouds and the threat of snow. I decided to stay here for another night allowing me time to set up a better shelter in case of more snow than expected will fall. Out here you need to be prepared most especially during the winter.









Looking out the lean-to I built, it appears that the snow may be lighter than expected which both bums me and makes me happy. I wouldn't mind getting snowed in for a day or so just for the experience but really want to hike to the next camp.








Waiting for the snow in my new lean-to. One of my favorite pieces of equipment is my trusty tarp. It was as comfortable as any night I had out there so it worked. I do like a little music out there so my second fav is my MP3 player.







The third morning was pretty cold. I was able to keep the fire going most of the night. If I did it over I would make sure the fire was closer to the lean-to and would be able to have more warmth.

Waking up to a cloudless sky even though it was bitter cold there is still something to say about a beautiful sunny morning to brighten the spirits.

A shot of the view from the campsite. Hard to want to pack up with this as my bedroom. I was completely surprised at how much wildlife was present but how little I saw or heard. Just goes to show how animals can survive right under our noses.

Finally packed up camp and moved to the second stage. Temperatures stayed pretty low so getting the fire going was essential. My plan was to keep it burning all night and to be as close to the opening to my tent as possible without it smoking me out.

A video of my setup

The Third night certainly offered a competitive view. Again, another night with no wind which is why it got so cold that night. I used the embers from the fire I kept going to spread out under my hammock. This idea worked well for most of the evening but I let the fire go out so the last few hours was horrendous. My lesson here is to spend a tad more time in developing a good shelter including the fire. Making a smaller fire for the shelter is a good way to do this. Using embers and a new birds nest transfer the fire to the new spot.