This is a follow up my blog last week: "How cold is too cold for camping"
Weather.com was pretty accurate, we had clear skies, but it was actually colder than than the forecast. I think the forecast said 24 or 25 as an overnight low on Friday night, and 25 or 26 for Sunday night.
I don't think it ever got above freezing all day Saturday.
We got up Saturday morning and our Senior boys made us breakfast, the actually were up before we were and had coffee going for us. (it was not a good pot of coffee, but it was warm!) We had Breakfast Burritos, fresh pepper and Sausage and eggs in a wrap... MMM!
We had 2 other patrols that made pankes, as many times as they screw that up, they still continue to try. It makes a big mess, never turns out well and seems to take twice the time it should.
The boys spent the morning making shelters
The one on the left is the winning shelter, The second one got off to a great start, using lashings, but was never finished.
- For lunch we had Meatball subs. Hot meal when it is below freezing all day was great! In the afternoon the patrols had competitions with knots and compass work, I have photos of that too, but the next photos are the ones that you will probably enjoy the most
- Dinner: Feasted again! We made Pizza starting with home made (camp made) dough. We had to put it by the fire to rise (and so it wouldnt freeze). For desert: Apple & Cherry Cobbler made in a dutch oven in the fire.
I could tell it was cold when I went to put the fire out and our bucket of water that had been sitting next to the fire was frozen on top. Frozen enough that it made it difficult to pour! Off to bed, hoping to stay warm!
How do you stay warm in a tent when it is below freezing? First thing: you need insulation underneath you. Big rookie mistake is to sleep on an air mattress... That is DEATH in the cold! Your best bet is a folded blanket underneath you, along with a pad, on the ground and a sleeping bag on top of that. Next, and this is hard to do, Strip out of all of the clothing from the day and put on a fresh layer and socks prior to jumping into your bag. I also throw a hand warmer at the foot of my bag to keep my feet from freezing. The bag it self is important, a rectangular bag just doesn't cut it, you need a mummy bag.
I awoke Sunday morning with a text from home: 18.7 degrees at home just 30 miles away... and My tent was all frosty inside
I took a few photos inside of the tent, but it was hard to do while all bundled up in my bag, and some did not come out well, There was ice on my sleeping bag, and in the photo below I tried to capture that, but unfortunately I must have fogged up the camera 
Here I am in my Bag, about to get out... Which is a chore, there are 4 separate drawstrings on the bag, in addition to the zipper and 2 Velcro closures to ensure you keep the heat in and the cold out. While sleeping I look like Kenny from South Park.
We had to break down fairly quickly Sunday morning. The firehouse where we have our meetings was having a pancake breakfast and we always go to serve at it and support them (Pleasant Plains Volunteer Fire House). as I broke down my tent there was more ice...
It wasn't exactly frost, it was ice crystals that came off of the fly when I took it off, in this next photo, you can see the frost that fell down in a pile by one of the stakes. one was actually frozen in..
The ice in my tent was NOTHING compared to the tents the boys were in, 2 bodies produce more moisture I guess! By time we got everything packed up and were ready to drive away... (trying to get teens out of their warm sleeping bags is NOT an easy thing, so this took longer than I wanted!) the temperature had climbed up a bit, here is a picture of the thermometer in the car
I dropped my son off at the Firehouse to serve, ran home for a quick shower to get rid of my 36 hour "Hat Head" hair style, and back for some pancakes... The Breakfast was great!
So that was my scouting saga, adventure for this trip, complete with photographic evidence of my chilly experience! Remember to support your local Scout Troop!
Have a great week
Rob
(732)223-1630 x102
Real Estate Mortgage Network
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