Spiral Jetty Camp Out - December 2011

My good friend Roger was in town for Christmas.  He hails from his current post in southern Arizona at Fort Huachuca (Sierra Vista).  Usually when he is in town, that means I get to go camping!  He and I very much like finding either the coldest day of the year, worst weather of the year or most remote part of the state when we go camping.  Either way, I get to escape civilization and spend time with my best friend.

With a tight deadline to be home on Friday, we needed to find someplace close to drive to on Thursday that would provide the solitude and winter experience we craved.  In the past we have done multi day trips to the San Rafael Swell or overnighters to Little Cottonwood Canyon. With the low snow pack this year, Little Cottonwood Canyon wouldn't work so well and we didn't have enough time to get to southern Utah.

We decided to stay close, but we also needed to find somewhere isolated and secluded, because we were taking GUNS!!!!

For some reason, I have a feeling this picture might end up in an email forward someday as  'Look at the crazy gun nut!'

Over the last couple of years, I have really enjoyed camping at the Spiral Jetty situated on the north shore of the Great Salt Lake past the Golden Spike Monument.  Desert camping to me is the ultimate high when it comes to solitude and soul recharging. I feel blessed to live in Utah with high desert in the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau. I can't get enough of it.

What is the Spiral Jetty? It's earth art, some guy placed a bunch of rocks in the salt beds and said, 'I'm cultured and more in tune with humanity than you'. Well, at least he created something that is interesting to look at and somewhat of an oddity.

In the vicinity of the Spiral Jetty, there are at least 2 decent campsites. One right on the shore next to the old remnants of a pier, and a little further up the road at the foundation of an old cabin. I have camped at both and they serve nicely as a place to camp. Bring your own firewood as there is no dead fall to collect in this area, nothing but rocks and grass.  In the last year, the gravel road was graded and at the time of this blog a 2wd car could easily drive out there.

Roger and I arrived after dark and in the freezing cold setup our tent and got a fire going.  When Roger and I camp, that means MRE's, meals ready to eat. He has so many that it makes my life easier when planning a campout.  They aren't the tastiest thing you could bring, but they do taste good and you get a whole meal from one packet.

That night I slept incredibly well as I tried out something new my wife thought up.  I put a summer weight synthetic bag on top of my sleeping pad, thus providing even more insulation from the cold ground.  It worked! I slept warm all night despite 9 degree temps outside. It was easy to bring along since this was a car campout, though it wouldn't work well if it was a backpack trip into the backcountry.

In the morning we awoke around 8 AM, which is awesome since usually if I am sleeping cold I am awake much earlier and unable to go back to sleep.  We  heated up hot chocolate and oatmeal to begin our morning.

That's one handsome dude. Raise a toast to his awesomeness!

After breakfast, the fun began, it was time to shoot the guns. Roger had brought his AR-15, 9MM and shotgun. I had brought my recently acquired Mosin Nagant, but due to a local gun stores inability to break open a case of surplus ammo, I couldn't get reasonably priced packets of cartridges to shoot it.

We took a hike up to the hill above camp, hoping to maybe find jackrabbits, but alas we didn't kill any bunnies.  Instead Roger brought an old He-Man character action figure to shoot at. I forgot to take a picture of it before we blew it apart.

'He looked at me funny, so I blew his knee cap off. When he laughed I separated his torso from his legs'

We had a great time. I had never shot an AR before and now I highly covet one for myself. The Spiral Jetty is a fantastic place to make a day visit or overnight camp out. To see this 'earth art' is almost surreal in an area that seems so remote and way out there. Thanks to Roger for always wanting to camp, rain or shine, heat or cold.

You can see the Spiral Jetty on the left hand side, under water.

Bright clear day! What a great time to be outside and camping.

Winter Camping - Just as Fun as Summer Camping

You ask, 'why go camping in the winter time? It's so cold!'.  Well clearly its cold, but believe me, if you do it right, it feels down right toasty warm!  When camping in cold weather, it boils down to two factors: proper equipment and over preparation.  You can't just throw together your equipment as if you were going on a summer campout.  You MUST pack proper gloves, headgear, layered top layers and pants and most important of all a sleep system that can handle cold temperatures.

What do I consider the most important part of winter camping? You absolutely must have a sleeping pad that insulates, but not necessarily one that is super cushy soft.  Sometimes you can have both, but that means more bulk and weight.  If you must choose one or the other, always choose the pad that insulates from the cold ground and your own body heat.  Even with a slightly inadequate sleeping bag ( ie. rated for 15 degrees when it is subzero outside), as long as you can't feel that cold ground you can compensate by adding layers to increase the bag heat efficiency.  Over the years, with all the winter camping I have done, that is the one lesson I have taken to heart, use a proper sleeping pad.

When it comes to shelter in a winter camp out, you have several options: tent, snow cave, snow pit, yurt, R.V. or cabin....oh wait, those last three aren't camping, sorry.  Tents and snow caves though are perfectly acceptable.  If you choose to use a tent, a four season is the best because it is sturdy and handles inclement weather very well.  I have also found that with proper planning (there's that concept again!) you can use a three season tent when weather will be clear and not stormy.  Now, on to the big kahuna of winter camping! the SNOW CAVE. Nothing strikes fear into the heart of those who enjoy the soft life of living indoors. How do you surround yourself with snow and like it! When enough of the white stuff has fallen, building a snow cave is the ultimate adventure in survival and enjoyment of winter. When properly built, the inside temperature will hover just around freezing or 32 degrees, while it can be subzero outside.  Snow caves insulate so well that nothing is more peaceful then riding out a snow storm or chilly night in the comfort of a snow cave.

The most efficient way to build a snow cave is to build into a snow bank.

It takes up to an hour or longer to build the inside large enough for two people.

Notice how the camera is angled down at myself looking in through the entrance. The sleeping platform MUST be higher than the doorway.

That right there is a happy camper! 

When building a snow cave, always follow these concepts below:
1. Utilize a large snowdrift to build into, rather than piling up snow into a mound. Do not build your cave under tree branches or in avalanche paths.
2. Build a large enough entrance that makes ingress or egress a simple affair. Not too large that the entrance can't be covered at night to keep wind and cold air from getting in.
3. Your sleeping platform MUST be elevated higher than the entrance. Cold air sinks, maximize body heat by allowing the cold to have a place to sink towards.
4. Keep the walls thick enough to support the weight of snow on top while still allowing for a spacious interior that allows you to sit up and move around.
5. Poke a couple of holes through the ceiling for fresh air to circulate. A ski pole is perfect, or several well placed ice ax holes work too.
6. Always keep your snow shovel inside, in case you get snowed in and need to dig out.
7. Close the interior from from the outside by plugging the entrance with your packs.
8. Pack a tent footprint or tarp, to keep your sleeping pad off of the snow. Invest in a bivy sack, it keeps your down sleeping bag dry and increases the temperature efficiency of the bag.
9. Try not to freak out if you find the ceiling dropping over the course of a night or several days. Your perspiration naturally causes the snow to settle as it heats up and refreezes. Snow caves only last for a couple of days.

Sleeping in a snow cave should be one of your life goals. When you build it spaciously and properly, it can last several days and be more comfortable than a tent.

When it comes to winter camping. Nutrition is incredibly important.  When you can't feel your fingers and toes, you won't eat, believe me, you can only focus on one thing at that moment. It isn't uncommon for your appetite to be less than if at home. You don't feel like pounding down food or drink.  You must eat and drink though if you want to keep warm and have sufficient energy to climb and hike. Pack an efficient stove that works in subzero temperatures. I've had good experience with JetBoils, though pressurized canisters (especially straight butane) can fail or burn very inefficiently.  Pack hot chocolate to warm up with and bring food that is EASY to prepare. Remember, it all comes down to over planning and proper preparation so that you don't have to worry about it when you are cold and can't focus.

I won't go too much into clothing except to say NO COTTON. It won't dry and doesn't insulate well (though I have found chamois and flannel to work well when weather is mild).  Remember to layer your clothing and wear good winter boots.

Winter Camping is so much fun when you stay warm.  The forest is quiet, it's even more beautiful and you test your meddle.

                                        Go for it, otherwise you will miss out on views like this!

Utah Highpoint - Monument Peak

Let's talk about the easiest highpoint in the whole state of Utah.  Monument Peak sits atop the Wasatch Plateau and is the highest point in Carbon County.  This area is my favorite part of the state!  It is beautiful and you will find wide open meadows, aspens and large pine forests.

The easiest way to get to Monument Peak is by coming over Soldiers Summit on Hwy 6 and taking the road to Scofield Reservoir.  From there, you head up into the plateau towards Fairview Canyon.  Along the way you will take a forest service road that heads south and drive inland several miles before coming to the peak.  Detailed instructions can be found at http://www.summitpost.org/monument-peak/347710.

Why is this the easiest peak? Because you can drive a high clearance vehicle all the way to the top! Kind of like cheating, right? If you don't have high clearance, you can still drive the FS road and hike the 100 yards or so to the top.

Yeah, it's that easy!

The dirt road on the left is the FS road that gets you to Monument Peak. This  picture is looking at the  double track to the summit.  Scofield Reservoir is on the right.

I drove to Monument Peak on a Friday after work and got there a little before sunset. I decided to stay overnight on the summit so that I could climb several county highpoints on the Wasatch Plateau the next day.

What Monument Peak has going for it is the fantastic views in every direction. You can see 3 other county highpoints, East, South Tent and Nebo. On a clear day you can see all the way to the Uintas.  To the southeast, you can see the San Rafael Swell.

In the picture above, we are looking in a southerly direction at the heart of the Wasatch Plateau.  Though it is hard to point them out since the summits are indistinct, both East Mountain and South Tent Mountain are visible.

East Mountain and South Tent can both be climbed in the same day.  What I recommend is that you drive down to Monument Peak on Friday night, and climb the other two on Saturday.  It makes for a fantastic weekend and knocks out three summits at once.

Here is a parting shot of the sunset over Mt Nebo that I was treated to on Monument Peak:

Utah - County Highpoints

Since 2007 it has been my goal to climb the highest point in each county of Utah.  There are 29 counties, but due to boundary lines running through summits, several mountains are considered a highpoint in neighboring counties, creating a list of 26 total.

Let me explain why this is a fantastic goal for anyone to take on.  First, the list of people who have done it is still small.  I would estimate that probably 50 people have completed it, maybe more if they chose not to make it known what they had done. You aren't unique for climbing any one of the highpoints, but if you climb all of them, that does.  Second, climbing the county highpoints will take you to every remote part of the state you could imagine.  If you love to explore, this is for you.  Get away from the crowded trails of the Wasatch and explore areas you didn't even know existed.  What is the last reason to take this on? It is a constructive hobby that makes you healthy, gets you off the couch and challenges you!

Now, when it comes to climbing these highpoints, I have a philosophy.  If an easily accessible road gets me close to the top, I'll use it.  You can call me lazy, but I believe in efficiency.  Many of these highpoints have multiple routes, some easy some hard.  I like to maximize my time when I am driving hours so that I can see more and that means I'll take the easy route.  This ain't Himalayan climbing where the only way to get your name out there is to climb the most dangerous route possible.

The biggest problem I have run into during this quest is having a capable vehicle that can take me to the trailheads.  That being said, the majority of highpoint trailheads can be reached with a small car.  If that is all you have, then be prepared for longer hikes. My vehicle of choice for the last 5 years has been a stock Jeep Cherokee.  I've found that it is more than capable and has gotten me wherever I need to go.  The only time it let me down was when it overheated in Castle Valley, in July, while en route to climb Mt Waas.  That trip was aborted unfortunately

I've climbed 16 of the highpoints so far.  That leaves only ten left!  That could easily be completed in one summer.  Since I have been doing this since 2007, I could have easily completed the peaks but sometimes family, school and work take priority.  Please continue reading my blog to watch my progress, I hope everyone finds information that helps them on their own quest to climb tall mountains.