The field trip was to take place in the Jegersberg forest area. It was a chance for us to try cross country skiing with heavy packs and to have a go at organising a “luxurious” camping experience. We were only to ski approximately three kilometres but this was enough for most people as some were new to skiing. It was tough with the backpack – particularly going up hills – but was a good experience overall.
1. What does the Outdoor Recreation Act tells you?
The Outdoor Recreation Act is an Act put in place to conserve the idea that everyone has a right to all land. It is there to “safeguard the public right of access to and passage through countryside and the right to spend time there” (Govt.No 1957).
2. Organising of the Camp
– The organizing of the camp was quite quick and painless as it was only to be an overnight trip. We were told several days prior to leaving our groups and the main aims of the camp. This allowed us to prepare food and personal equipment. On the day of departure, we organized other equipment including shovels, tents, tarp, storm kitchens etc. The full list of equipment taken was as follows:
– Hiking pack
– Skis and boots
– Warm clothing and other personal items
– Sleeping bag and mat
– Tent
– Shovel per person
– Two trangias (one metho and one gas)
– A tarp
3. Storm Kitchens
One of the main aims of this trip was to make the trip as luxurious as possible. One way to promote this was to cook a three course meal that night and have a warm breakfast the next morning. In order to complete this, we were given two Trangias. One came with a gas adaptor and the other was to use pink spirits. When camping, Trangias are a main cooking tool as they are easy to carry and easy to cook on.
Some important things to remember when using a Trangia though are to:
– Always place on as flat a surface as possible
– If using methylated spirits, allow one person to pour the spirits and another to light the flame. If the spirits are spilled onto the hand of the person lighting, this could cause serious injury.
– Never cook inside an enclosed area i.e in a tent as the carbon monoxide fumes could prove to be fatal
– Never leave a Trangia stove unattended
– Do not repour metho into the burner while it is still alight
– If using gas, keep the gas on low when lighting the burner then turn it up.
4. Staying Warm:
As it was snowing the temperature was quite low and this meant that a big priority was to stay warm. While skiing, you want to avoid heavy perspiration so it is better to wear less clothing as you do get quite warm. I opted for wool thermal bottoms and top, a fleece jacket, wools socks and waterproof jacket and pants to cover. I also wore gloves and a beanie. At camp I put more layers on which included tracksuit pants in between the thermals and waterproof pants and a down jacket under my rain jacket.
In order to sleep comfortably, we took some measures to make our sleeping space warmer. This included laying branches under our tent as well as laying down a tarp. Inside the tent, we all had a sleeping mat and good quality sleeping bags.
All of this helped greatly as I was not cold as all and was very comfortable in the tent.
5. Campfire
Due to it snowing and there being no fire restrictions, we were able to have a campfire. The type of campfire made was a ‘pagoda bål’ fire. This is also known as a ‘Log Cabin’ campfire as there are larger logs placed at the bottom in a square and it is then built higher with smaller logs and finally the kindling at the top. The kindling is then set alight and as the fire moves down the logs it grows larger and larger (Youngquist 2013).
6. Dinner
When organising the dinner, my group thought that it should be delicious but also nutritious and simple.
Our menu was as follows:
Entrée:
Hotdogs
Main:
Enchiladas with mince and vegetables
Dessert:
Smores (American camp favourite with chocolate and marshmallow melted over the fire and placed in a biscuit).
Breakfast:
Pancakes with chocolate spread
We chose these meals because they were easy, nutritious (except the smores) and filling. They included vegetables, some protein and carbohydrates. Our first two courses were cooked using the storm kitchen; however, we made the smores the traditional way – over the fire.
Conclusion:
This was a great introductory field trip as it not only allowed us to test out cross country skiing, we were also encouraged to use creativity when cooking and to really think about the important things about camping in the snow with the main one being keeping warm and well fueled.
Reference:
Youngquist, Kevin 2013, ‘Log Cabin Campfire’, Campfire Construction, How to Build a Campfire, < http://www.primitiveways.com/Camp_Fire.html> viewed 3/3/2014
Government.no 1957, ‘Act of 28 June 1957 No. 16 relating to Outdoor Recreation’, < http://www.regjeringen.no/en/doc/Laws/Acts/outdoor-recreation-act.html?id=172932> viewed 12/2/2013
