Winter Camping Round 1

Winter camping is still kind of a "big deal" for us, but is becoming more routine.  We bought a used Arctic Oven tent early this winter and were excited to test it out.  
This camping trip happened during our Spring Break.  The weather was warm and the snow was very heavy and sticky.  We ended up at a spot pretty close to town, but it was just perfect.  The kids had a sledding/snowboarding hill, we had a good snowshoe loop, there was ample firewood, and the camping area was sheltered by trees.  


All our gear strapped into the sleds! 
Our "new" tent all set up.

We camped right at the bottom of a great sledding/snowboarding hill.  

Oren was so excited to try out his snowboard on a bigger hill.
Oren's first run on his snowboard.
Anya chilling at the bottom of the sledding hill.  Can you tell she is learning how to love being outside?!


It was tricky to keep the kids dry with the warm temperatures!  We discovered that Anya's ski pants weren't waterproof anymore, so before we went out I stitched a piece of waterproof fabric onto the backside.  It worked while we waited for her new ones to come in 
Anya loves hot chocolate!
Tip:  if you have kids that are sensitive to diary here's an easy recipe:  1 c almond milk (or milk of choice), 1 T cacao powder, 1 T maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla.  


The boys love to practice fire building. They make firestarters in an egg carton: dryer lint or wood shavings with wax melted and poured over.

"Can we please bring books to read in the tent?!"  We are loving Laura Ingalls Wilder's books lately.  


Anya cleaning up for lunch.

Kids "resting" in their sleeping bags while Brett gets the fire going.  We were only staying for one night, so we didn't bother to dig down through the snow, but after this we knew we needed boards under the poles and that it would be more comfortable if we dug down.  (The snow really melted and got quite "lumpy").  Also, notice the caribou fur sleeping pads; they are super warm! 

Anya is pretty good at napping on the snowmachine. 



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