Twice the Effort, Half the Miles

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Pack nearly bursting at the seams, and with nearly every external attachment point utilized in some way or another, I finally found myself ascending from the trailhead just a bit later than expected, mid-morning on a bright winter day. Eager to find a campsite before the looming early winter sunset, I put my head down and made good time through snow of a gradually increasing depth as I slowly ascended in elevation with each step. While it seemed like I was carrying enough gear for two, and in many ways I was in a 3-season context, some weight was mitigated by the fact that as just a quick overnight, my food bag was as light as it’s ever been, and water here – in the form of snow – was everywhere. Usually, it takes me some time to mentally get into the groove on any backpacking trip…

A quick winter overnight in fairly chilly conditions and perhaps a few lessons learned along the way, check out the report below in Issue 26:

Twice the Effort, Half the Miles

Issue 26 Page 1