Extending camping season into the snow season

The ability to shape, sculpt and mold the world around you makes camping in the snow a wonderful experience — it's like living in a world of Play-Doh.

Summer campers who hide inside all winter miss out on the wonders of winter camp. Sure, it's cold, but there are no bugs to bother you, fewer people to crowd you and far more options of beautiful places to stay. Plus, there's all that glistening white stuff to play in.

Setting up camp can be as simple as pitching a tent, but you can also sculpt out an elaborate kitchen, with a raised cooking area and plenty of storage shelves. I've dug out intimate candle-lit tables for two, and long bench-lined tables for a dozen hungry skiers.

But my forte is molding recliners, lined by a sleeping pad, in which to relax after dinner with a steaming mug of hot chocolate as the sun goes down.

Reasons to snow camp

Snow camping at Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier National Park is a prime destination for snow camping. Camping on snow is allowed almost anywhere in the park once enough snow has accumulated to protect vegetation. This means when snow has reached a depth of 5 feet at Paradise and 2 feet elsewhere.

Backcountry permits are required year-round and during the winter are available at the Longmire Museum at Longmire daily and the Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise (weekends and holidays).

In snow camping, you choose your own campsite, but in the national park the site must be a minimum of 300 feet from plowed roads and parking areas (to avoid being buried by snowblowers), marked routes, trails and buildings, and at least 100 feet from water. Maximum group size is 12 people.

Dispose of human waste responsibly. For tips on this and other winter-camping issues in the National Park, see www.nps.gov/mora or call 360-569-2211.

If the fun of crafting a custom camp out of snow doesn't draw you into the world of winter camping, consider some of the other reasons to carry your camping into the fourth season.

By mid-December, most hikers are ready for the rain to stop and the trails to be cleared. The beauty of winter is that virtually everything is a trail — you can go where you please. With snowshoes and adequate winter apparel, hikers can enjoy — in undisturbed solitude — a wilderness that doesn't exist in the summer. Consider the popular areas around Mount Rainier, for example.

In August, the road from Paradise to Reflection and Louise Lakes is bumper-to-bumper buses. The hiking trail that loops over Mazama Ridge to the lakes is equally backed up with foot traffic — mostly tourists who stop, point and click at every blooming flower encountered.

But when the road is buried in up to 30 feet of snow, the crowds disappear and a new world of wildness sweeps in. Rather than being confined to one narrow, asphalt path in the Paradise meadows, snowshoers can wander at will through the vast meadows once a thick blanket of snow protects the sensitive plants. And if you want to camp in those meadows, winter is your only option.

Cold is huge influence

Of course, there are other issues associated with winter recreation, most notably the weather. The cold is the factor that drives all the benefits — and dangers — of exploring snow-shrouded wilderness.

The lower temperatures make snow recreation more intense. The planning and preparation of a trip takes more time and thought. More equipment and gear is needed. The discomforts of a poorly planned trip are more acute. And the pleasures of a good outing are more profound.

The Paradise to Reflection Lake hike is perfect for newcomers to snowshoe hiking. The way is moderately graded and easy to follow. The trip covers 5 to 7 miles round-trip — sticking strictly to the roadway results in a longer hike, but one of the beautiful things about snowshoes is they give new meaning to the idea of going "cross country."

Summer hikers may have to loop several miles around gentle slopes covered in thick brambles, but put a few feet of snow on those bushes and they level out into smooth meadows just waiting for a snowshoer. Likewise sensitive alpine meadows. Walk across a high-elevation heather meadow and the vegetation could be marred for years. But when buried under a protective layer of snow, those meadows can be safely trod upon by hordes of hikers.

Major differences

Backpacking in winter is similar to summer camping, but there are some important differences to keep in mind.

To start with, remember the short daylight hours of winter, and the longer time required to set up camp. Plan carefully and err on the side of caution — it's better to cut a trip short than push on to a planned destination after darkness has fallen. Remember that the cold weather will slow you down. If you doubt that, go out in your back yard and try to set up your tent wearing mittens or gloves.

Also, before the tent goes up, you'll want to clear a place for it. Brush off all the loose snow and/or stomp down a flat pad for the tent floor.

If time allows, it's also a good practice to build a "wind wall" on the windward side of the tent. Do this by packing snow into a thick, semi-circular wall up to four feet high. This will deflect the worst of the night's wind around the tent, keeping it warmer and more secure.

While doing that, keep in mind that you'll probably have to "make" water by melting snow. This can take a long time (and burn a lot of stove fuel, so pack extra).

Once your basic camp is set up, if you still have daylight left, you can spiff up the place by building a "kitchen." Excavate a trough roughly 2-feet-wide-by-2-feet-deep. Cut seats into one wall of the trough, and a "table" into the other. Step into the trough and you can then sit down to do your cooking and eating.

Camping in winter requires more intensive planning, but it doesn't have to be any more difficult or uncomfortable than summer backpacking.

In fact, a well planned, well-set-up winter camp can be even more comfortable and cozy than its summer counterpart. It just takes time, and the right frame of mind.

Dan A. Nelson of Puyallup is an author of guidebooks for The Mountaineers Books and a frequent contributor to Backpacker magazine and Northwest Weekend.