Synopses & Reviews
"The trips richest in profound experience are based in joy in being at the mercy of a natural order that is at once part of you and greater than you. The important things you seek are not to be found where the trail takes you, but rather in each step you take along the way."
Imagine snowshoeing through an unspoiled northern forest, with just the pristine snow, breathtaking scenery, and the occasional deer or fox for company. Your gear glides behind you on a toboggan, and at night, you relax in your wood-heated canvas tent after a delicious, hot meal. Garrett and Alexandra Conover, named to Outside magazine's exclusive list of "20th-Century Heroes for a New Millennium," show you how to celebrate winter, not just endure it. With plans and detailed instructions for making clothing, tents, toboggans, and snowshoes, this is the complete guide to enjoying the winter wilderness using traditional skills, equipment, and philosophies. The Conovers write beautifully, sensitively, and comprehensively of wild northern places, inviting you to experience the rare wonders of the winter trail.
Praise for the First Edition
"The Conovers propose a spiritual kinship with winter, this most extreme, yet mystical, season. . . . The book is a timely reminder that what might be viewed as an old-fashioned, even archaic, approach also needs to be considered as a viable, rewarding method, not merely as a fringe pursuit for purists. . . . It delves deeply into the spiritual aspects of the winter experience. This is in all respects a well-written, entertaining, and enthralling work."--Bushwhacker
Table of Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Snowshoes and Footwear
2. Toboggans
3. Tents and Trail Stoves
4. Clothing for the Elements
5. Tools of the Trail
6. Provisioning
7. Finding Your Way
8. Caring for Mind and Body
9. Snowmobiles and Komatiks
Afterword
Appendices
Equipment List
Literary Resources
Patterns for Traditional Clothing and Footwear
Plans for a Pyramid Tent and a Campfire Tent
Index
Metric Conversions