About Hans Erdman

WEMC-I Patrol Director/NMBP Instructor #03 Backcountry Trail Patrol Association, Inc. Isanti, MN

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Event Report: 2012 Winter Camping Symposium

On the last weekend of October, for the past 15 years, winter camping enthusiasts have come together to celebrate the sport, learn new skills and techniques, and have a bit of fun at the Winter Camping Symposium.

Originally, known as … Continue reading →

Of Snowshoes, Winter and Eagles

Winter is this fascinating time of year, particularly here in Minnesota. Last week it was sunny and in the 20s. Today it's pouring rain and in the mid-30s. Tomorrow the temperature will drop, and we'll get three or four inches of snow, and next week highs will be in the single digits. That's winter here in Minnesota.

Garrett Conover: The The Snow Walker’s Companion and Teacher

You don't have to be crazy to camp in the winter. You really don't even need to be a die-hard, gung-ho adventurer. In fact, you really don't even need to be cold. If you use the right equipment you can leave the cold outside your tent, and cook your meals over a real stove right in the same warm area you will sleep in. You can be comfortable, even when it is well below zero (Fahrenheit) outside your tent walls.

The Knife

Remember the scene in "Crocodile Dundee" where Mick is confronted by a New York City street thug with a switchblade, and says to him, "That's not a knife."

The Great Transition

It may be 90 degrees outside, but I have already made my annual "great transition" to winter thinking. It's early this year, I admit. Maybe it's partially an escape, at least in my mind, from the oppressive heat, humidity and hay fever outdoors right now. But there's a practical side of the transition, too. The Backcountry Trail Patrol Association's winter Web site is already updated and waiting for the first snowflake to fall. In order to do that, I had to set up our annual Backcountry Winter Workshop, and to do that, I had to contact the local snowmobile club and set up the location. Then I needed to start contacting sponsors to make sure that they wanted to support the workshop this year.

The Backcountry of Simpson Creek

I woke up to the unexpected sound of a snowplow going by the motel room, got up and looked out the window to find about four inches of new powder on my van. (By agreement with my wife, now that I am over 50, when I am solo I either stay in a motel, hostel or campground.)

Red Wool and Webs: In the Tradition of the 1890s

I own two pair of snowshoes. Both pairs have wooden frames. One pair, from Freeman's in Turin, N.Y., has neoprene webbing and "Sherpa" bindings, which I use mostly in wet snow conditions.