Lured by the sunny forecast, but concerned of the cold, I set out to try some winter camping tips:- air pad on top of closed-foam pad. My Big Agnes AXL Air is one of the lightest (9.6oz), but not insulated. Worked well on the Thermarest RidgeRest (9oz). I didn't feel the frozen ground.
- one sleeping bag inside another. I put my Phantom 45°F inside my Igneo 20°F, both I have owned for a number of years (2016, 2014), so not as warm as new. I stayed warm throughout the night (may have gone down to ~15°F/-10°C.
- put water bottle upside down in fluffy socks.
10/24, Saturday. Cloudy. The Chiwawa River road was snowed in during Friday's storm. Over 20 miles. Slow going. When we arrived ~13:30, the car showed 34°F (the last time I came to Spider Meadow, it was 94°F). There were 3 other cars. One had a foot of snow on top. I put rain pants on top of my thin hiking pants, put on gaiters and microspikes, walked into the snow. The snow was soft. Footsteps to Carne Mountain high route. We were breaking trail. The young trees bended over the trail under heavy load of snow, blocking the way. Lots of animal footprints on the fresh snow. Maybe a cougar. Lots of bird and rabit prints. At least one deer. Near the boundary of Alpine Lake Wilderness, we saw some footsteps, and then 2 hunters with their tent. They told us that Spider Meadow had one foot of snow. Not a piece of good news. We didn't bring snowshoes.
No more footprints after meeting the hunters. We arrived at the meadow ~5pm. The 5.5 milea took longer than usual. Light snow was falling. Gloomy all around, but pristine. We quickly put on warm clothes, and pitched the tent. I had trouble staking the tent to the frozen ground. The snow was too soft to anchor the stakes. Had to look for rocks. Forgot to bring a Mylar blanket. Then we fetched water to cook dinner. My boots are thin. Once I stopped walking, my feet quickly got cold, even though my upper body was warm. I brought many layers of clothing, and a Windstopper hat. After dinner, cooked water to put into Nalgeen bottles and into the sleeping bags.
10/25, Sunday, partly sunny. Brillant stars once the clouds lifted at night (the moon set ~midnight). Very cold in the morning. Missed the sunrise. Didn't get out until the sun reached our tent through the trees. Cooked breakfast. Again, my feet froze while eating. Only after hiking a mile or so later, they warmed up.
Headed towards Spider Gap. Guessing where the trail was by slight depression on the snow surface. Snow was up to my knee high some times. My partner was breaking the trail. One section of the trail, there were icicles broken above and falling towards us. Near the notch, we were caught up by a group of 4 skiers. Yes, all the way to the junction to Phelps Basin, would be perfect for skis. It's beautiful here. Still some golden larches. It was noon. After a lunch break, we headed down, instead of going up the glacier to the gap. We wanted to get on the road before too dark. On the way down, met another group of 3 on skis.
A bit easier on the way back. We followed our own track, treaded down further by the 7 skiers. Packed up and headed out. Nice sunset near the trail head. Met another single skier. 3 different cars at the TH. ~5:30pm.
The snow on road was now frozen. The car showed 29°F. Slow going. Once passed Stevens Pass, the temperature rose above freezing. A successful winter camp.
