There's something so soothing about the warmth of a fire on a cold winter day! Just got back from a 5 day solo trip and I'm still figuring out this whole hot-tenting thing lol...I didnt dig down to the ground but instead packed the snow with my snowshoes. I guess I didn't do a good enough job because it got very lumpy and full of little divots from my knees etc. I also tried digging down for my stove but then realized that when it sat on the ground there wasn't enough clearance for my pipe with the elbow to make it out of the hole, so I shoveled the snow back in and used floats (worked very well).

I also find that getting the air flow and burn in the stove to be a learned art. Playing with the dampers etc helped a bit but I'm still trying to figure out how to get a longer burn out of my wood. I know it doesn't help that I am using all softwood....

Sure is nice having a warm place to cook, eat and sit though!

Great photos!!

I loved the pictures man. Where did you go? Did you fish? How did it go getting all your stuff hauled in there?

Thanks guys! This was actually in Algonquin Park. I did 5 days by myself and lugged my gear in on a toboggan (2 trips). The tent and stove pretty much took up an entire toboggan lol. This was my second time hot tenting (I have always cold tented) and I'm still learning lots as I go :) No fishing but loads of snowshoeing, hiking, photography etc. Here's a couple more pics from the week:

Dude nice picture! But you made enough food for 3...

Haha I was going to make 2 pizzas but had enough to make 4...Good thing too. For the next night I brought Hamburger Helper but realized I forgot the hamburger lol. Then the following day some critter got in and made off with my dinner! Good thing I always pack extra food :) As for the breakfasts...I love breakfasts...haha

Great photos that tell a story! I always enjoy seeing others set ups. How was the weather?

It was great all week (between 0 to -7) but then the last nigth it got down to -25. It was pretty darn cold!

Glad you had some fun out there. I miss it and it's only been a couple weeks since we went.

Wow, really good photos, impressive.

I think I understand your stove setup now from that other thread.

quote SteveElms73: "Thanks guys! This was actually in Algonquin Park. I did 5 days by myself and lugged my gear in on a toboggan (2 trips). The tent and stove pretty much took up an entire toboggan lol. This was my second time hot tenting (I have always cold tented) and I'm still learning lots as I go :) No fishing but loads of snowshoeing, hiking, photography etc. Here's a couple more pics from the week:


"

Beautiful photo

Was there a plan for the sap?

Well I had read that sap from Balsam Fir blisters can be used for a few things...one of which is a great fire starter. So you collect a bit on a piece of wood like that, add some very small tinder to act as a whick (I broke up some White Pine needles for that). When you add a spark it catches flame and will burn for a few minutes (enough to get a fire going). It worked really well (and smelled amazing as it burned too).

Very cool. Thanks for the photo/tip. Heading up early, ealry friday morning and will give this a try myself!!

And how about that knife, looks to be handmade??

I can't remember the brand of the knife but it is from Norway (got it as a gift years ago). Very small blade but very sharp and great for whittling (sp) etc :)

Hey how did you like your surplus tent? I assume it was 5 man? I thought about buying one since the prices seem a bit more reasonable than the high end models out there.

The tent works pretty good! It's a bit of a pain getting it put up by yourself but it's not too bad. For the price they are very roomy and decent. I have used it a couple times and put a couple burn holes in it from sparks. I'd be a LOT more upset if I put those holes in a Snowtrekker or something. It packs up fairly large but I'm not too concerned about size and weight of the packed tent because of where I usually camp.

You must be a real master of photographic exposure. The lighting dynamics of the fire in the forefront and lantern light emerging from the tent in the background--- plus the white snow/black night sky combo--have to make for a high contrast, tremendously complex metering situation, yet detail is preserved throughout. Fantastic photo!

Thanks very much! Shooting in RAW format allows a bit more freedom to pull details from the shadows and highlights...and Photoshop helps a bit too :)

Your B&W photos are beauties. Reminds me of my manual SLR days shooting Tri-X boosted to 800 ASA and developed accordingly. Very nice work Steve.

Thank you Andy I appreciate the kind words. I shot a tiny bit of film back in the day but really got into photography since digital came about. I love the editing part of it in Photoshop, Lightroom etc so the two hobbies seem to have merged together :)

Nice pics. Makes me want to get out there.

I was going to say: hot tenting? No way

until I saw the sausages, eggs, and toast!

It's all about the big breakie!!!

quote ZaraSp00k: "I was going to say: hot tenting? No way


until I saw the sausages, eggs, and toast!"

Yeah, that photo alone makes me hungry. It's a lot of fun cooking on the stove when hot tenting.

I was amazed (and hooked) after I first hot tented. It is quite surprising how warm, dry and comfortable you become in a hot tent.

Yup...nothing better than the smell and sound of sizzling bacon cooking on the stove eh? Mmmmm :)