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.