Off the Cuff – I loaded up my Jeep…

And drove to the AAFS show several weeks ago in Denver, Colorado. Show was great. Afterwards, it got interesting.

Drove way up into the snowy mountains by myself. Took a 60lb pack, snowshoes and my down sleeping bag, but no tent. I planned on finding a spot to dig a snow cave and spend the night. What could go wrong?

First challenge out of the gate, I couldn’t lift the heavy pack. So, I managed to hoist it on the tailgate, backed into it, and slipped in that way. Probably should have quit right there.

Snowshoeing for a couple of hours, I quickly gained altitude. I had this monkey on my back that I couldn’t remove, so I rested every 20 minutes or so, leaning over clutching my knees. Just lingering long enough to drink some water and stay well-hydrated. Google says people die of dehydration in the wilderness before starvation.

Looking at my Timex watch, I did some quick math and felt the familiar pang in my gut. I needed to start looking for a place to dig my snow cave. 1 person needs about 5-6 hours to dig a decent snow cave. I soon settled on a spot and started digging. And digging. And digging. If you are careful, you can cut perfectly square blocks of snow with a regular hand saw. Pretty cool.

All the while, I tried to stay super hydrated.

Three or four hours into the dig, I discovered I could have found a better spot than I did. The sun was fading fast and the bitter cold was creeping in. I wasn’t about to put that 60lb monkey on my back again, so I decided to make do. I had to carve a sleeping area with almost no head room, and as it turned out, 12” too short.

I managed to stuff my sleeping bag in the little hole in the mountainside. Yes, I remembered to cut a small airway in the roof with a ski pole so I wouldn’t suffocate myself.

It took me about 15 minutes to squeeze into the cave. Once in there, I was determined not to come out until morning. An empty screw-cap 32oz water bottle was by my side for relieving myself. Remember, I was super hydrated. The bottle had this little internal cap I inadvertently forgot to remove. The warmth that I was feeling was not from the bottle walls. I knew it wasn’t me bleeding, so it had to be my worst nightmare. I had now to deal with a wet sleeping bag in 10-degree weather. Fear of surviving did cross my mind.

Enough said. I did not forget to remove the internal cap the next time, or the next, the next or the next.

God was watching over me though.

I am sure He was watching in amazement, wondering why I put myself through such situations…and do it time after time. Am I the only one doing crazy stuff?