Love That Winter Camping

A good campfire is even better when the temps dip down to 12 degrees!

Maybe it is the stillness in the air, the coldness chilling you to the bone down your back side while your front is burning from the dancing fire, the quiet of the night, whatever….I enjoy winter camping!

Dave and I had a chance (along with his Dad) to do a little winter camping last weekend and man was it nice!  I bet we sat around that campfire for hours, telling stories, laughing, planning our future hunts and fishing trips, and just having fun. 

Nebraska has several great places to camp for a nice winter outing.  From several of our largest State Parks such as Eugene T. Mahoney to Chadron or Fort Robinson to the smaller hide aways such as Smith Falls, Pawnee or Branched Oak SRAs, a winter camping trip can be something the entire family can enjoy. 

Family Camping Activites in the Winter:

1. Campfire – this is a must have!  Smores are the likely candidates here.  Have plenty of wood ready because when the fire dies down it gets cold!

2. Wildlife tracking – an excellent time to get out and see tracks, ID animals, find critters, etc.  You don’t have to be a track expert to enjoy noticing differences in tracks with family and friends. 

3. Night sounds – this is one of my favorites.  With a little practice, you can get coyotes howling and owls hooting around you.   This will impress your friends until the how continues hooting well into the morning. Try the coyote howl to get him to leave….

Bring plenty of clothes, dress warm, and make sure you have something to sleep on that insulates you from the cold.  Closed cell foam works well here.  It is amazing how warm you can get when you hunker down inside  a good sleeping bag.

Have fun, enjoy the fire, respect the resource (sorry Wags I had to borrow that one)!

Get Em’ Out There

Rawly