Woodsbound Outdoors
Deep Woods Solo Winter Camping in a Primitive Shelter
2/20/2024 | 14m 34sVideo has Closed Captions
I hiked into the cold, snowy woods of Northern Pennsylvania and built a primitive shelter from trees
I hiked deep into the cold, snowy woods of Northern Pennsylvania and camped out in the snow and single digit temperatures. I built a primitive shelter between two large rocks using hemlock boughs for covering and bedding. I enjoyed a Delmonico steak and onion cooked on the coals. It gets down to 6 degrees Fahrenheit at night, but I stayed warm in my sleeping bag near the fire.
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Woodsbound Outdoors is a local public television program presented by WQED
Woodsbound Outdoors
Deep Woods Solo Winter Camping in a Primitive Shelter
2/20/2024 | 14m 34sVideo has Closed Captions
I hiked deep into the cold, snowy woods of Northern Pennsylvania and camped out in the snow and single digit temperatures. I built a primitive shelter between two large rocks using hemlock boughs for covering and bedding. I enjoyed a Delmonico steak and onion cooked on the coals. It gets down to 6 degrees Fahrenheit at night, but I stayed warm in my sleeping bag near the fire.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipIt is a cold, snowy day today in the mountains and it's only going to get colder.
It's supposed to get down to the single digits tonight.
So right now I'm looking for a good spot to set up camp.
I didn't bring a tarp or tent or anything for shelter, so I'm going to see what kind of natural materials I can find out here to use.
There's some coyote tracks here.
So it looks like I'll be sharing the woods with some coyotes tonight.
A lot of times I'll hear them howling all around me in the middle of the night.
Some nights they're more vocal than others.
So hopefully we hear some tonight because it's pretty cool.
All right, so we're getting a little rocky here.
I gotta find good sized rock to camp next to it or to camp under it.
If I can.
So this is looking good here.
I'll put my sticks right on top of there and put some pine balls on top of that for hemlock.
Got protection from both sides.
So this is looking good to me.
So I like being under these hemlocks.
They provide a lot of protection from the wind and snow.
Perfect spot to set up camp.
Let's get a shelter built.
There was a fall hemlock farther up this ridge, so I'm going to get my saw.
Go up there and collect some hemlock boughs, both for my bedding and for my shelter.
It's getting dark quick.
I got to get the shelter built so I'm not wandering around in the dark looking for hemlock.
Well, I'm staying nice and warm, dragging these things around.
Perfect.
Let's test this out.
Oh, yeah.
It's actually kind of comfy.
All right, so I got these up, and I'll put my hemlock boughs.
Kind of stack them on top of this.
Some lum right on this.
These hemlock boughs are great for shelters.
Provides a lot of cover and insulation.
It's nice and cozy in here.
It's a little rough around the edges, but it just needs a little TLC.
I'll give you the tour.
This is the master suite here with a beautiful, custom built mattress.
Very comfortable.
It's the best night's sleep you'll ever get.
So that'll keep the snow off of me.
And give me some insulation from the ground.
I might rent this thing out.
Today's market.
I could probably get 12, 1300 bucks a month for this.
Well, it's getting a little chilly.
Get a fire going.
I'm going to build a long log fire.
Its a fire that'll burn for hours.
That'll keep me warm all night long.
Let's see if we can find some logs.
I need some bigger hardwood logs that are going to burn for a long time.
This looks like a falling maple here, so that'll be perfect.
All right, so we got three big logs here.
That should be good enough.
I'm going to raise these up off the ground a little bit.
So some air can get underneath.
It's a little cold out here.
I'll get some kindling gathered up when it snaps.
Nice and crisp, like this.
You know, it's good and dry.
Then I'll get the fire started.
Right on top of the logs.
Some fat wood.
I like to make my feather sticks over the kindling pile, so in case my shavings fall off, they'll just fall right in there So I got to get a lot of kindling and just keep feeding that fire.
Get the flames going, get it real hot.
So they'll start burning these bigger logs.
That is nice and warm.
I split this log.
Cut halfway through it.
And I'll just beat it against this rock.
Yeah, I'll take that.
sides do the same thing.
Just one more way to split a log.
If you don't have a hatchet or an ax.
And you know what they say about firewood?
That it warms you twice.
And there's a lot of truth to that.
So snow in a little bit, but mostly stopped.
And it is getting colder by the minute.
It's supposed to get down to six degrees tonight.
So it's going to get cold.
All right.
Let's fill through some water before this thing freezes up.
If I have to, I'll melt snow.
But if I have a choice, I'd rather filter stream water.
Just tastes a little better.
And when it's cold like this, I keep the filter straw in my pocket so it stays warm and doesn't freeze up.
I'll fill this up.
So I'm going to put this big log on top for now.
Let it dry out over the flames.
That way when I'm ready to lay it across everything.
It's a lot more dry and ready to burn.
I'm going to throw this onion in the fire.
Let it cook for a while.
And then I'll rotate it as needed.
Got my wool blanket.
I'm going to lay down first on top of this a little extra cushion, a little extra insulation.
And the sleeping bag.
Right on top of that.
It's cold out here.
It's got to be at least in the single digits by now.
But this fire feels great.
My meat thermometer is reading 5.7 degrees.
Let's cook a steak so I get a good bit of hot coals.
I'm just going to cook it right on the hot coals.
And I'll just give that a flip.
Say this onions about done.
Nice and charred on the outside, but nice and tender on the inside.
That's a good steak.
Medium rare.
Just like I like it.
That is so good.
Nothing like steak and onion over an open fire in the middle of nowhere.
All right, so now I'm going to put this big log right on top, parallel with the other one.
Fix this, fire up a little bit and then call it a night.
So let's put my boots over here.
All the heat's being contained by these rocks in the shelter.
It's all coming right in here and keeping me nice and warm.
So I'm going to call it a night and go to bed.
See you guys tomorrow.
So I had to fix the fire in the middle of the night.
You went for a while longer, and then it kind of died out towards morning.
I didn't get that cold last night.
It is just not very comfortable in here.
Well, I'm going to get nice and warmed up by the fire here.
Now that I have it good and hot again, and I'm going to pack everything up and get out of here.
Turned out to be a beautiful day today.
Still really cold, though.

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