2-1-03 Snowshoe Kegger

“So, the guys upstairs from me invited me a while back to do a winter snowshoe outing with them. Snow or no, it was go. So, we assembled early Saturday morning and it turned out their were nine of us, including three dogs. The forecast was for 6-12 inches of fresh pow that afternoon and night. We left in the early AM with sun in Sacramento and a forebodingly dark horizon that promised weather. One of my upstairs flatmates, Dave, had won (in a contest of some sort) a 5 gallon keg of home crafted apple cider from the local Two Rivers Cider Co. in Sac and decided this was the oppertune time to bring it! It must have weighed 50 pounds on its own but he has a 6500 ci pack and so, stuffed it in the bottom for the trip.

We arrived at the Kingsbury trailhead on the SE shore of Tahoe (NV side). The trailhead started at about 6,500 and we ended up camping at close to 10,000 along part of the Tahoe Rim Trail above the lake. I only saw a map of where we were headed once, as actually, it kind of a relief not to be the trip leader this time around. The majority on the trip had made the climb several times before so I put my trust in them.

The car caravan pulled into the lot at about 10 am, about 2.5 hours after we had left Sac. Two in our group had come up the night before, had a Motorolla walkie talkie so we could stay in contact and were about 4 miles in. We would meet them en route and continue on to the ridge line. We geared up and hit the trail. After about an hour on the trail, the weather kicked in. Cold gusts sent chills down my spine and the snow began to blow. Heavy fog obscured all views of the lake and terrain. Visibility was about 100 yards. We trudged onward, meeting up with the two who had spent the night and continued on our way.

We climbed and climbed. Dave, the keg carrier, tripped on one of his snowshoes and headered into a tree, suffering a small scalp abrasion. Two EMTs were along for the trip (Dave's a respiratory therapist and has medical training as well) and it was determined to be non-life threatening. We encouraged Dave to continue and to carry the keg to safety :)

Eventually, after climbing for a couple of hours, we came to an open area that most felt would ensure nice views of Lake Tahoe if the weather cleared in the morning as predicted. There was no way to have any indication of this, however, as it was just a blanket of white.

We dug into the mountainside making ledges with collapsable shovels. An altimeter read 9,600 feet. It was storming. It took a while to dig out a shelf, by myself, for the 13-foot Hilleberg but I eventuall got it done. Roseymonster couldn't wait and dodged into the tent before it was errected to get out of the storm.

Once the tent was up, I made some grub in the vestibule, sitting cozily in my Crazy Creek (a must for winter backpacking, I have determined), donned a few more layers and headed out to the fire that someone had gotten going to start sucking on the keg of cider. I thought the tap would freeze up but I guess the alcohol content was high enough (about 9 percent) that it helped to keep it from freezing.

Gradually, the storm subsided but the mercury continued to drop. Stars appeared above. Temp readings varied from 8-12 degrees F. The fire was toasty tho and we took turned carving out snow furniture "snowfas" and the like for lounging about. The cider flowed nicely and we killed the keg in a few hours. I was beat and hit the sack while others tromped off to the ridge to try for some views.

Rosey shivered through the night. I was toasty in my 15 degree down bag with fleece and long undies.

The morning came and we awoke to blue, clear sky, sun and stellar views of the lake. I was first up and got the fire going on the coals from the night before. A leisurely morning was had futzing about, making omelets, and soaking in the rays and views. The hike out was made in optimum weather, without incident, and followed by a stop off at the local pizzeria.

A great trip. I learned:

The trangia can be used for winter backpacking and to melt snow. It takes a little longer and a fair amount of fuel consumption.

The Nallo 2 GT has a kickin' vestibule!

Kegs and backpacking DO mix!”

“Forgot the pics...

here they be”

“One more time, Click on the 2-1 snowshoe...

try this”

“You da' man rosey - nice trip report, and..... a keg! Damn! You put us Easterners to shame!”

“Hey Rosey - how did your Gear Guides work out? Mine had some minor shifting, but held up pretty good other than that.”

“Buddha:

I experienced some of the same. I was on some pretty vertical stuff and they were sliding around on me on the traverses. I made due. Definitely not as nice as the Atlas I have used but man, about 1/3 the price! For as often as I do snowshoeing, they're fine. If I find myself doing more than a half-dozen trips a year in the snow, I may upgrade. I did notice they get some balling around the heal but I just stop and knock off the ice.”