Good Things About Winter Camping
The winter camping season has pretty much ended here in southern New England. While I’m happy to see some warmer weather again—when more Scouts want to camp—I always encourage them to try winter camping. It offers a unique experience and its own rewards. So, here’s a short list of a few of the good things that pop to mind.
- Something others don’t do. Lots of people camp in the summertime, but you’re certainly among an elite group if you camp in the Winter.
- The Klondike. Pushing and pulling the sled and gear around makes this a unique trip during the year. No other camporee places as much emphasis on being self-sufficient, and doing it in the winter makes it that much more challenging.
- Hot food is best. Being so cold, just about anything hot really hits the spot.
- Washing dishes is less of a chore and more of a reward.
- Changing clothes is invigorating.Peeling off all those layers at night or coming out of the sleeping bag in the morning is an eye-opener. It’s not the same kind of unpleasant shock as a cold shower; the cold, fresh air feels really nice… for about 1/2-second, then I’m glad to be getting clothes on!
- The campfire. A fire is never appreciated so much, and often affords us the opportunity to huddle around it and get to have conversations with more people than any other time.
- Lastly, after you get home, a hot shower. A hot shower always feels good after a camping trip, but is never better than after a winter outing.
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