Nate O Taylor

Food, Fishing, and Outdoor Adventures

Man Camp 2016

March 26, 2016 by n.taylor 1 Comment

The 9th installment of Man Camp was certainly one of the best we’ve ever had. What made this year great was not what happened during Man Camp, but what happened before we ever arrived. On Tuesday morning I awoke to find that for the first time in over a month a major storm cycle had set its course to the Continental Divide as it crosses Berthoud Pass.

Tuesday

 

The clouds never broke on Tuesday and as Wednesday began to unfold it was evident that those clouds were not going to break anytime soon. Another double digit snow day at 9,100 feet was promising for where we would make camp at 11,100 feet.

Wednesday

 

The snow continued to fall throughout Wednesday morning and as we approached the parking lot that afternoon the road had obviously not been plowed. Ignoring our cumulative common sense we proceeded up the road, pushing forward with high hopes and as much inertia as we could gather. It proved however to be insufficient, and we found ourselves buried on the side of the road. We unloaded some of our supplies, hoping that a reduction in weight would help us escape our roadside prison. For over an hour and a half we concocted one failed plan after another until we were ready to admit defeat and leave the vehicle for another day. It wasn’t until our friends at Powder Addiction offered the use of their snowcat that we were pulled free from our ditch of gloom.

Snow Cat Savior

Snow Cat Savior

 

Hours behind schedule we hurriedly set up camp as darkness set in. The snow was relentless and by morning had covered up many of the items we had brought in the previous night.

Initial Setup

Initial Setup

 

Snow Accumulation

Snow Accumulation

 

Buried

Buried

Other than simply setting up camp there was serious work to be done, like convincing other people to chop down some trees.

Tree Chopping

Tree Chopping

Teamwork

Teamwork

 

With all that snow the sledding and riding were just out of control. There were areas where the snow was 4-5 feet deep and made it difficult to even keep the sleds floating on top of the snow.

Gearing Up

Gearing Up

Upper Bowl

Upper Bowl

Snow Still Falling

Snow Still Falling

Lone Arctic Cat

Lone Arctic Cat

At the end of the day we could fire up the stove, dry out our wet gear, and have a warm meal.

Dinner Time

Dinner Time

 

Until next year…

 

IMG_6034

Filed Under: Spring Tagged With: Arctic Oven, Man Camp, Powder, Snowmobile

Man Camp 2014

March 24, 2014 by n.taylor Leave a Comment

Five days at our 11,300 foot base camp

Towering Cornice

Towering Cornice

We stayed warm while outdoors

Outdoor Fire

Outdoor Fire

The darkness forced us inside

Arctic Oven at Nightfall

Arctic Oven at Nightfall

Where we started a smaller fire

Tent Stove

Tent Stove

Storms moved in nearly every night

Nighttime Storm

Nighttime Storm

We even got a few runs in

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSK5ZI5K3oI[/youtube]

As always, friendship makes all pursuits more memorable

Saturday Group

Saturday Group

Filed Under: Spring Tagged With: Arctic Oven, Backcounty, Man Camp, Montezuma

Alaska Tent and Tarp: Arktika

March 8, 2014 by n.taylor Leave a Comment

The Alaska Tent and Tarp Arktika has finally arrived. The kind folks at AT&T had to manufacture one for us before we depart for Man Camp 2014 (it took them about 4 weeks).

After religiously monitoring my UPS tracking info, my package arrives at roughly 16:12. I immediately leave work.

Shipment Arrival

Shipment Arrival

Went to Home Depot and bought a few pieces of carpet and cut them to size for a floor saver. Really durable and should help to insulate the floor of the tent against the snow.

Custom Flooring

Custom Flooring

We got it setup, measured, and seam sealed. Amazing amount of room in this tent, even with a stove in the middle of it. The loops on the inside are great for running paracord through and making yourself a little closet to hang up wet gear. I’m excited to take it out and test it out for the next 5 days. At first glance it might actually live up to its reputation, but we shall see.

Home Away From Home

Home Away From Home

Filed Under: Spring Tagged With: Arctic Oven, Arktika, Man Camp 2014

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