A clear night on Clear Lake

I spent the last two nights with a small group of Reed students covering the basics of snow camping. We met and organized personal gear on campus on Tuesday and then headed up to the cabin for an evening of prep and discussion where we built pulks, packed food, and finalized our game plan.

6 of us total arrived at the Clear Lake SnoPark on highway 26 and loaded our gear into day packs and 3 pulks for pulling.  We walked the snow packed road into the lake for about a mile and then headed across the ice towards the Southwest arm of the man-made lake. The ice was in perfect condition for skating, smooth and a fine dusting of snow from the frosty night 

before--if only we had skates!

Picking a camp that was tucked back from the shore and in the shelter of the forest, we dug out a kitchen and gathering place, then pitched tents and dug front "patios" in our respective vestibules.  We spent the day hiking and gathering fire wood. 

That night we stayed warm in front of a toasty blaze with steaming drinks in hand and feasted on Cheddar Broccoli elbow macaroni soup.

Tischer had a blast following each of us around camp and hunkered down next to us when we gathered for dinner and a fire.  Being the freeze baby that she is, I made her a sleeping bag from an old bag I found in the woods this past fall.  She crawls in very willingly and I tuck a fleece blanket around her for added warmth.  There we sat for much of the night, and just before bed meandered down to the frozen lake to view the half cloudless sky and pick out familiar constellations.

Inside my two layered sleeping bags I slept like a great dream.  Mostly because Tischer did too. She was warm and comfortable laying next to me on her own pad, and I was relieved at the success of her first use of the sleeping bag. Pleased with her for using it and pleased with my idea and construction. This opens up a whole new list of possible trips for her and I.

The next morning we took our time getting going, eventually making the trek out under a bright sun.  Grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch back at the cabin and a mug of hot tang as I drove us back to Ptown facing the setting sun.  

What a beautiful experience winter camping is.  I'm glad Tischer got to see it too.