This year there isn't more than 1" of snow up in the mountains, so we had to forego the traditional snow cave campout. We decided to try a new experience this time, we rented 2 Yurts (for more info on Yurt's click
here). Basically a Yurt is a round "cabin" with canvas walls and a wood floor. The ones we stayed in had a bunk bed and futon bed. They had propane heat, and electric light. Not really roughing it, but the propane heat wasn't enough to really heat the room. While it was in the low teens outside, the inside was only able to get up to the mid 50's F. Which in my mind is perfect temperature for camping.
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| Inside a Yurt |
We reserved 2 Yurts, one for the scouts and one for the leaders. They are located near Rockport Reservoir, but they can be found all over the world.
We drove to the Yurts, loaded all our stuff inside, and then played touch football out on the lake (9" thick ice with hundreds of people fishing on it). During dinner we discussed the dangers of crossing the ice, and how to rescue someone who has broken through the ice, and how to survive if you're the one that has broken through. The next day we cleaned up, played football again for a bit and then came home.
It was a lot different than our snow cave campouts which usually consist of getting to the location, digging till 10pm, eating dinner and going to bed. In some ways it was nice to have a "fun" campout, but I did miss all the hard work and good sleep that comes from snow cave camping.
