Several weeks ago I had the “opportunity” to go snowcaving with our scouts. I am the assistant scoutmaster so I frequently head out on these types of adventures, but none are as hard core as our annual snowcave trip. It’s enough to make me feel like a regular Bear Grylls.
“I’m going to show you how I survived a night in the brutal backcountry of the Wasatch mountains in the middle of winter.”
Conditions
Our traditional spot for is up at Daniel’s Summit (elevation 8000 ft). We’ve had a good snow year this year; snow levels were reported at about 12 feet. Actually where we camped we only had about 7 feet to deal with, but the top 3 feet of snow was the famous Utah powder.
The trek into our campsite was brutal. The cross country ski trail we usually hike on hadn’t been used all week and wasn’t packed down at all. Every step you would sink down to past your knees in snow. We only hiked in a quarter mile, but it felt like four because of the snow.
The powder was also not ideal for a snowcave because it doesn’t pack down very well. We had two snowcaves collapse during the digging process. The leaders’ cave was nearly finished and quite large when it collapsed, but better to have in collapse while digging than while asleep in your sleeping bag.
Shelter
Instead of building a cave, I decided to make a lean-to shelter. I figured it would be quicker and much less work than digging out a snow cave by myself. A snow cave takes about four hours to dig out; it’s a lot of work.
My lean-to shelter was easier. I used a dead tree as the top support and then used pine branches to support some cardboard and a tarp I also threw over the top. Then I buried it in snow for insulation. I was done in about an hour.
Even though the temperatures dropped below zero during the night, my shelter stayed around 25 degrees Fahrenheit. My shelter wasn’t as warm as the snowcaves (which typically stay around 40 degrees), but I also didn’t worry about the roof collapsing in the middle of the night.
Success
I survived the night, but I didn’t sleep much. It was chilly but I was warm once I threw my second sleeping bag over the top. My first pair of gloves were frozen absolutely rock solid overnight, but all of my other gear did just great.
None of the scouts got hypothermia, frostbite, or buried alive, so it was the most successful snowcave trip yet.
It wasn’t exactly Man vs. Wild (the best show on TV) type survival, especially considering the phenomenal amount of gear I brought along for the trip. But, I did survive and make it back to civilization successfully — and I didn’t have to eat any rotting carcases or spiders to do it.
MightyJohnsons 