New Trip Report posted by arctic

Trip Name: Annual BWCAW Mushing Camping Trip, 2009.

Entry Point: 25

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Great story artic. Thanks for sharing. You should bring a camera next time.

Great report - what kind of tent did you use? Seems like carrying a lot of gear would be easy with that dog power!

We don't bring a tent. I usually sleep under the stars on a tarp and Thermarest pad, while my buddy sleeps in the empty sled bag. If it snows we set up a tarp and bank the sides with snow.

nice report, but how well do you realy sleep in -30 cold???
I think I would have to sit next to the fire all night

With a good sleeping bag (mine is rated to -40 F) and good insulation from the ground (2-inch Thermarest or two half-inch, closed cell pads) sleeping in temps below -30F isn't too bad. Going pee during the night can be a bit cold, though...

Very cool. What's the brand and model of your sleeping bag?

North Face Dark Star -40 F

I've been thinking about sleeping under the stars in those temperatures with the -40 bag. It sounds great, but then I was wondering what happens to the small part of your face that is still exposed to the air? At -30 degrees, can't you get frostbite overnight? If you tucked your face in the bag, wouldn't the moisture be a problem? I'm just wondering how you deal with this, because I'm interested in trying it sometime.

I cinch the hood of the sleeping bag down to about a four-inch opening over my mouth and nose to minimize heat loss. On a cold night the area gets pretty frosty/iced-up, but my breath probably keeps away any chance of frostbite. The nose does get cold at times on the coldest night.

As cold nights are typically clear, we like to have our campsites facing SE to take advantage of the morning sun and be sheltered from the prevailing NW winds. A sheltered cove on a point near a stand of jack pines is perfection.