Winter's cold, snowy weather is shunned by more than a few people, but there are those like Kevin Callan who thrive in it.
"Most of our southern population cringes the moment it gets cold outside, and when the rare individual heads into the frozen landscape, they're viewd as a deranged explorer tempting fate," he says. "When you first go from the warmth of your house or car to the frigid wintry air, you second-guess your sanity. Then, gradually, your anatomical furnace kicks in. You adjust, even thrive. Layers of clothes are removed, your body warms and the feeling of being out in what author Calvin Rutstrum labelled a 'paradise below zero" becomes highly desirable."
That winter and its cold and snow and challenging landscapes are to be embraced is the foundation to Mr. Callan's new book, Complete Guide to Winter Camping. A mix of new and old, this 176-page paperback offers instruction on just about everything from building a shelter in the backcountry and gear selection to first-aid and traveling with your gear stowed on a tobaggon that you pull. There's even a chapter on animal track and tree identification, with the bonus of the author's listing of BTUs per cord of firewood from the various tree species.
You'll find tips and advice on things like the various types of shelter you can resort to, the use of traditional wood-framed snowshoes, and even how to pick good companions for heading out into the winter weather.
It's an intriguing book in that it goes against our instant gratification approach to life, where we want life easy and easily attained. Going out into zero-degree weather with heavy snow is not an adventure many would choose willingly to pursue, and it can be overly challenging and even deadly for the novice. But it also can definitely be character-building and open a new, or greater, appreciation for nature and how we cope with it.
For a month the author spent a month roaming "the frozen north," as he put it, with a Cree elder who taught him the skills to survive.
"Beyond drinking bush tea and hunting snowshoe hare, I made my own snowshoes, anorak and winter moccasins," writes Mr. Callan. "I roasted a moose nose over the campfire, cooked up a beaver tail, weaved a bed of spruce boughs and traveled more than 124 miles over snow and ice.
"I was never cold, uncomfortable or miserable, something I can't say for others living in the south," he continued. "While they were waiting impatiently for winter to be over, I was praying for it not to end."
