Who has had to spend a night or ? in the mtns?

oonighttrain said:

i ask this question after watching the movie "lost holiday" or whatever it was the other night..

im just wondering what caused you to have to stay, what you did to stay sane and warm, and how you got out......

let us know, it mau help others in the future..

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Got lost, started a fire, became insane and been there ever since!

Ole Blacktooth and I were talking about voluntarily spending a night out in the woods with the survival gear we carry in our packs. Seems like the best way to test it. I figured that would give us confidence in what we carry or be a learning lesson of what we need to carry. Of course everyone we invite for this little adventure sarcastically says, “Yeah, call me”.

make sure you do it near your pickup so when frost bite sets in you can run to your pickup!!! LMAO

We spent the night a few years back. On a big powder day my buddies and I went down a draw that normally we climb up. Got disoriented and ran out of day light. One of the snowmobiles light quit working and he couldn’t see good enough to climb out.

I was impressed how well we handled it. I found out it was worth the 600 bones that I spent on the gore-tex coat and bibs. I was warm and dry all night. It was good to know that we had every thing you need on us to spend the night. (Except a bottle of whiskey)


Don’t want to do it again any time soon.

graveler said:

make sure you do it near your pickup so when frost bite sets in you can run to your pickup!!! LMAO

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We figured we would hang out near one of the warming huts just in case. I have spent a lot of time in warming huts on cold days waiting for visibility to clear up. Always a pleasure.

I've been there.

I got lost hunting once over by Jackson Mont in 2005. First time there ,hiked in, in the dark with someone who hunts there regular.He needed help loading his Elk on his horse (the horse wanted nothing to do with it).I stayed behind to skin and pack the head (he was afraid the horse would blow if he waited).I told him I could find my way out.I lied, he left at about 10am. I hiked from about 10:30am till it got dark.I never could see out of the trees.
Just before it was compleatly dark I found somewhere to start a fire and stay for the nite,gathered wood and started a fire.I did get a little crazy(we won't talk about that).Every time I got cold, I put more wood on the fire.Fortunatly there was plenty of wood and I don't think it got colder then 30.So I didn't have it too bad.
As soon as it was light I got started again and within a couple of hours I could see a farm house about 5 miles out.So I headed for it With in 2 miles I found the road.Got picked up buy a couple of other hunters.I got back to camp about 8:30 and the guy I was there with was brushing his teeth.He said if I didn't show by noon he was going to call the Sherrif.
I learned that I really have a poor since of direction and poor judgment as to the carictor of people.I also now have a unlimited budget when it comes to survivel gear.I don't give people second chances if they are willing to leave me behind once they will do it again.Yes I told him I would be ok.The people I usualy do things like hunting and sleding would never leave someone behind, and shure as hell wouldn't bush their teeth if they lost someone, they wouldn't sleep till they found them.
I usualy don't wear my longjons and that day I did.I also used to leave my pack behind allot.I didn't that day and I'm verry glad I didn't.I also learnd those 99 cent space blankets suck and so do cheap wool pants.
SPEND THE MONEY YOUR WORTH IT!!
P.S. The head never made it back to camp.

I've had to do it twice. Sometimes it's better to stop and build a fire and wait for daylight to continue. We were in a pretty sketchy drainage with very poor snow conditions. There were three of us. I stayed up all night. Anytime I started to get cold, I just went after more firewood. From my experiences, sleeping is the time when you get the coldest. Stay positive and just b.s. with your buddies helps the time pass by. Our fire pit was pretty big withing a couple of hours, so we dug out chairs in the snow on the edges and lined them with branches thick with pine needles. This will keep you from melting snow and provide insulation. Being that they were within the circle of the firepit, the heat from the fire pretty much had to go through you. I have some old pictures I will try to find and post.

WYO312 said:

Ole Blacktooth and I were talking about voluntarily spending a night out in the woods with the survival gear we carry in our packs. Seems like the best way to test it. I figured that would give us confidence in what we carry or be a learning lesson of what we need to carry. Of course everyone we invite for this little adventure sarcastically says, “Yeah, call me”.

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Funny, we've discussed the same thing at times. After all the B.S. was done though the concensus was that we drive too far (1200 mile round trip) to only ride a few days and spending the night on the mtn on purpose as opposed to sleeping in a comfy motel room with a warm shower would be, like, insane. LOL

Now having said that, it does sound like somewhat of an adventure. Hmmm...

a good friend of mine spent the night in a hole he dug under his sled, after driving off a cliff in the bull moose area of Tumbler Ridge. luckily it was only around -10c, his sled would still start so he used the motor to warm his hands once in a while. his riding partner couldn't see or communicate with him, so he headed to town for help. we drove all night to assist the party that was heading out at first light, we caught up just as they were strapping him to a backboard where they found him. huge thanks go out to the volunteers of the Tumbler search and rescue group.

he had a broken neck, and a ruptured eardrum. he bought another sled and still rides.

Did last year

Buddy and I were out wolf hunting 75-80 miles from home. He blew his engine on Brokesled Mtn. Started towing him out, made it 15 miles if 4 hours! Got tired of getting stuck, no moonlight also so we stopped and built a fire and gathered wood for the night. Long night out there at 0to -10*F but no wind so that helped. Dozed off and on, ate our grub sparingly, made more water to drink.
Made it another 10 miles the next morning and low and behold, I broke down. Waited all day for the search team to find us, 8pm when they showed up. Made it home about 3am as we were towed out 50 miles with 2 sleds in tandem each! Worried family, but we made it.
It is easy to survive the night if you know what the hell you are doing out in the wilderness. If you are going to spend time out there you better be prepared for the worse possible scenario all the time. :beer;

Overnight a rabbit ears

Spent the night at Rabitt Ears in 2004. It was my first ride on my 2004 King Cat we had been out all day, left from Muddy Creek and ended up on Buff Pass. Heavy Pow I was loving that sled that day. My wife however was hating life getting stuck often on her 144". It was starting to get dark and we couldn't find the trail back to Muddy Pass. We had a group of four and 1 guy got his sled stuck really bad. 3 of us made a decision to stay with the stuck sled and start a fire and wait till daylight. The other one insisted he knew where the trail was and was riding out. I however had next to nothing for fuel, wifes had some and the stuck sled had fuel.

Reasons we decided to spend the night
1. Pitch black darkness no clouds and no moon
2. Very low fuel (my sled)
3. 1 Sled very stuck
4. We were prepared fire starter shovels saws etc.
5. Not sure how to get back to the truck


This is what we did.

1. Dug a hole to start a fire
2. Cut wood all night long with hand saws
3. Lined the hole with pine branches to keep us from contact with the snow.
4. Took my King Cat seat off so my wife and I had something to sit on.
5. Used Space blankets over pine branches as a backrest
6. Packed water bottles with snow and set them by the fire to melt so we had more water.
7. At first light I siphoned the gas from the stuck sled to put into the King Cat rode down to the nearest parking lot and got a ride back to my Truck.
Loaded my sleds up and went to gas them up. Came back and rescued the stuck sled.

This is what we used
1. Shovel and Saw Combo
2. Firestarter sticks and lighter (had waterproof matches too)
3. Pine branches for wind block and snow barrier
4. Snowmobile seat (this worked great)!
5. Extra munchies
6. Water bottles both to melt snow and to transfer gas in the am!
7. My wifes battery vent hose to siphon gas with

What I wished I had
1. Flashlight or glowstick ( got em now )
2. Rhino GPS (I have them now!)
3. More food and water
4. The fourth person who left us and got stuck,spent the night without a fire)
5. More gas for the King we proly would have pressed further and possibly picked up the trail if I had more fuel.

We rode out at first light no problem. One thing I think helped is we were not totally lost we knew exactly where we were just not sure how to pick up the trail out in the dark! Thanks to a couple of guys at the Grizzly Creek lot for Driving me over to the Muddy Pass lot to get my truck it was a good 45 minutes one way!

It was definately a night to remember and my wife still goes sledding with us even after that. She wasn't to freaked out that night or pissed off. I doubt she would want to do it again but my buddies that were not with us want to just for the experiance. For Christmas that year I put together 4 overnight packs for those who were not with us!

On a side not last Sunday we went in after a guy at dark that didn't make it back to the Grizzly Creek parking lot. Found him 14 miles in heading the wrong direction out. He was definately spending the night if we hadn't shown up. Picked him up on my Garmin Rhino radio calling for help. We went in from the parking lot stopping every 2 miles to make calls out on the Radio. Luckily I knew him and what channel he would be on. He didn't have any survival gear nor a shovel which could have gotten his sled unstuck.

Go prepared no matter what. Spend the money needed to make sure you have enough to at least dig a hole and start a fire.

Here is to hoping you never have to stay overnight.

Cheers,

Spent the night two years ago. Black Mesa. Colorado. 4 of us. No big deal. The only thing different now is I carry a Sat phone. This way I can inform people\Loved ones that we are safe, if it happens again.

Sam

Been close a few times but haven't had to. You guys that have make it sound like a camping trip! Nice to see everyone came out alright.

I think it is an excellent idea to try and stay a night on purpose. As the say experience is king, and when the situation repeats but is serious, it will go a lot easier and will be much less risky.

I plan on doing this at least once this winter. Just like camping I say.

So you guys that do this, do you make a rule that you can't carry anything extra that you normally wouldn't.

If I were to go out and practice this I wouldn't carry anything "extra" than I normally take. It would defeat the purpose of the experiance.

Yah, that makes a lot of sense, just wondering if someone sneaks in a flask of jim beam or something for hanging out by the fire?

switchback said:

Been close a few times but haven't had to. You guys that have make it sound like a camping trip! Nice to see everyone came out alright.

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We were very close two winters ago. Guy I was riding with was burried like you wouldn't believe, track froze solid. We had a very good idea of where we were, it was snowing like you wouldn't believe, no light (clouds), etc. We discussed it and said we would stop and build a fire if we didn't hit the trail within 3 miles.

Hit the trail at 2.9 miles on the Odo. Came back in the next day to get his sled out.

We were close another time, similar situation. But we were only ~ 400 yards away from his cabin trying to beat a trail in. That would have been a comfy night once the place warmed up.

Things I cary in my pack:

• BCA Shovel w/ probe
• Wyoming Saw II
• Candle lantern
• spare 9 hour candles
• matches
• Aviation Survival Spark-Lite firestarter
• Tarp
• 100' of 550 cord
• Extra food (4 or 5 spare granola bars and extra Jerky)
• Nalgene for water

Things I want to add:

• Sat Phone
• Tech license for my Radio so I can communicate on emergency channels
• Spot
• Better/Lighter tarp

ruffryder said:

Yah, that makes a lot of sense, just wondering if someone sneaks in a flask of jim beam or something for hanging out by the fire?

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I never carry any alchohol when riding and prefer not to ride with those that do. Motorsports and alchohol don't mix. Not to mention survival situations and alchohol, do you really want your judgement impaired when any action you take during the night might mean you going out on your feet or in a body bag?