Pulk Sled Campout in the White Mountains of NH

[@JohnnyMac76]

Those booties are great around camp ❤ Love your videos 😊

[@RachelWhelton]

I was terrified I'd slip into a crevasse when I put them on but they were great!

[@shirleyg6189]

Outstanding! Very impressive! Really enjoy your videos.

[@RachelWhelton]

Thanks. Most of my own videos I don't re-watch after the big edit. But this one I really like for some reason. Hopefully I will be out there for a new round of winter camping soon.

[@RhodySeth]

What a fun adventure. I can see the advantage of the pulk, really get to bring lots of gear. Great video Rachel!

[@RachelWhelton]

Thanks so much! Yeah, the pulk is a dream when it glides. Just didn't count on a few obstacles and steeps! Ha ha... But I'll do it again sometime.

[@DoggoneGold]

What a great adventure! I seen that creek crossing and thought oh just a pan or two to look for color 🤣 Good times and what a great watch. Brrrrrr 😁

[@RachelWhelton]

Ahhh, that creek crossing was lucky. I was holding my breath that all my stuff and I didn't crack the ice and go for a swim.

[@barrygraber9776]

Well done Rachel !!

[@RachelWhelton]

Thanks!

[@PumpkinVillage]

Just found your channel. Well done. Winter camping and pulling a pulk can be very challenging. I prefer winter camping and mostly use a hammock /tarp system to camp out with. Watched your Green River Reservoir video. Lake Elmore is also a good spot in that area and has a short hike to a Fire Tower. Thanks for the video. Al

[@RachelWhelton]

Lake Elmore - never heard of it until now. Thanks! I will definitely look it up. The pulk is so fun. As I consider what I want to do this winter, the pulk rates high on the list. Husband got one too and hope to do a pulk trip together this season. Of course as I imagine it now, the snow conditions will be perfect!

[@filmic1]

Respect! really getting the hang of the winter camping vibe. Glad to see you drinking water! Congratulations!

[@RachelWhelton]

Yes, thanks! Water is one of my New Year's resolutions. This is the year of hydration.

[@kaiserwilhelmnh932]

Great job. I have that same mug and love it! I've used pulk sleds before and they are tough to maneuver in the Whites

[@RachelWhelton]

Yes they are! I definitely wouldn't trade in my backpack for the pulk. But it sure is a fun spin on backpacking. I hope to do at least one more round with it before all the white stuff goes away.

[@BucksMom218]

Wow Respect is right! You did so well! So beautiful there too! I love winter! Thanks for sharing!! 🥰🥾🥾☃️❄️❄️

[@RachelWhelton]

Thanks! Yes, it is important to find the fun in winter and play in the snow while it lasts.

[@dirtbagoutside]

The blueberries almond and ganola meal is one of my favorites.. I usually add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to it.. And eat it cold.. enjoyed this video. Thanks for posting. I do most of my hiking in the Harriman, Catskills, and the Adirondacks.. been to the Whites one time a few months ago.. always looking for new ideas where to go.

[@RachelWhelton]

Yeah, I feel like every video and photo I see is all a big research project on figuring out where to go next.

[@unjarredoutdoors5513]

Great video! Leaving a like to support your channel!

[@RachelWhelton]

Thank you so much!

[@mimir.569]

Thank you ! I admire your wisdom and audacity !

[@RachelWhelton]

Thanks!

[@hispanofial7617]

Hi Rachel, I’m sure you’re already familiar with the Pemi wilderness, but I just wanted to mention that the Franconia Brook tent site is an excellent place to get used to pulling a pulk. From the Lincoln Woods trailhead it’s a pretty flat 3 miles with no difficult crossings, and the campsites are nice. There are bear boxes and fire pits

[@RachelWhelton]

Hey, what good timing on this comment as I was probably literally out there when you wrote this. And indeed, you are correct - it was good. But now I yearn for more of a view so I might need to start walking uphill.

[@hispanofial7617]

@@RachelWhelton while it’s not for camping, if you wanna have some fun with the sled, pull it up the trail to Mount Willard, which I’m sure you’re familiar with. You get great views at the top, and then you can ride the sled a good chunk of the way down! My girlfriend and I did this last year and had a blast! The trail has some nice long straight sections. Just make sure no one is coming up that you might crash into!

[@Sue-Anna]

Great job! Love the perspective from the sled! You're so very brave. Have you ever heard anything out there that you can't identify or explain?

[@RachelWhelton]

On the Barnes Field campout, I heard an animal which was difficult to identify but I think it must have been a fox. Foxes can make some very odd sounds.

[@mobilewintercamp7515]

Wow great job! I completely relate to this whole video. The river crossing, great job you did I’ve been in that situation. The setting up of the tent, it’s a relief and safe feeling followed by exhaustion and a brief time out before the next task. The change in plans on your exit, I did the same two weeks ago in Maine. I walked a logging road out to the highway back to the parking lot. Two plus miles on flat road is better than one mile of a rollercoaster trails in deep powder and snowshoes, I was glad I made the decision. So much I understand and have experienced, great job 😊❤️🇺🇸❄️☃️🛷🔥⛺️🌄

[@RachelWhelton]

Thanks! I know what you mean when you say you know how it feels. Ha ha.... It's just so good to be out there and do this sort of little adventure. Because winter can be long and boring if you just stay home and do the same thing day after day, which is what I do the rest of the week!

[@garvinlouie6919]

Nicely done.....keep eating...gotta feed the engine...I think you'll find you'll have a little more energy. I have the same problem...so focused on going and forget to snack. I'm getting better at it.

[@RachelWhelton]

Yeah, it's hard when all week I am counting every calorie and then I go out there and eat kind of a lot. Just takes longer to get it together in the woods and the snacks aren't as satisfying as the meals.

[@davidmurray5330]

Impressive!

[@RachelWhelton]

Thanks! I'm building up what I can do by adding one or two pieces of the puzzle each time out.

[@Drwbdw]

Great video! I know that spot well. Thanks for sharing your adventure!

[@RachelWhelton]

Thanks. That is interesting. I hope to see this spot again in the summer. Winter is a cloak of mystery in a way. Not to mention I have to go back there to do the actual hike up to Potash! This experience made me see the Kanc in a whole new light, instead of a tourist list, it seemed like infinite adventure possibilities if one just goes beyond the road stops into the backcountry.

[@TBB3rd]

I’m in a relatively warm place right now but you did a good job of making me feel cold! Brrr.

[@RachelWhelton]

For me the cold is easier than the peak of summer's heat.

[@andrewmacaulay1585]

. Nothing like a pulk video…😊 Where did you buy your pulk? New Brunswick Canada 🇨🇦

[@RachelWhelton]

I got this pulk on clearance super cheap from REI and they sent it free shipping to one of their stores around here so I could go pick it up. On that trip I learned uphill woods pulk situations are not easy. But I do look forward to pulk camping this season! Looking for some good terrain and waiting for snow now....

[@melanymcallister8716]

Well done! So much fun to watch!

[@RachelWhelton]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@scottalpine]

That wore me out just watching. Looked like a hard trek. I’m also fairly certain I would have fallen in the creek.

[@RachelWhelton]

I was worried the whole ice bridge would CRACK and I'd go falling into the water with my pulk and all my gear! But it was less than half a mile from the car so I went full on and luckily made it.

[@ck12001]

You are amazing! I wish I was as brave as you, Love your adventures :)

[@RachelWhelton]

Thank you!

[@peterfagley772]

Great trip, you are getting very good at this stuff, I also noticed the improved Winter gear. Where do you buy most of the equipment you use, if you don't mind me asking?

[@RachelWhelton]

I love shopping and usually get the best prices online. Campsaver, Backcountry, and Amazon have the lowest prices. I often wait months for something to finally get it on sale or clearance. That pulk was on clearance for 34 bucks at REI. All of this stuff still adds up to a lot of money but I figure it is a swap out instead of a big trip with airfare and hotel. And this stuff will outlast me!

[@defend223]

Great video. I've never done it, but after watching this maybe I'll incorporate some ski's into my hikes here in the whites. Would I need special hours for this? I've only snow boarded years ago. Maybe I'll find me a sled. Can you recommend any ski's specific to hiking and maybe a repuable dealer here? Thx be well

[@RachelWhelton]

The guys at Great Glen Trails have a good shop. I recommend backcountry skies with a metal edge for control. My first XC skis were touring skis with no edge and I never use them. The backcountry skis are robust for making your own tracks, very fun and safe feeling. The new skis I got this year - the short ones with built-in skins - are not working well for me right now. So I say the best are the classic style of backcountry XC skis with a metal edge. Should be some good package deals at your local stores. Kittery Trading Post has this also, and LLBean. Do some price comparisons and make sure to try on different boots!

[@defend223]

@@RachelWhelton Thank you Rachel! I am near Crawford notch but Gorham is just a hop and a skip. So they sell back country ski's there? I was just at rei today and didn't think to look there.

[@amerphoto1]

Loved this video! I only have one other photographer I follow that uses a pulk sled. His name is Morton Hilmer, a gentle giant of a man and is a professional wildlife photographer from Denmark. He is always on a winter expedition, usually in Greenland in search of hard to photograph subjects for weeks at a time. He carries massive loads of expedition gear and photography gear not only on his back but on a pulk sled. His experience in winter expeditions is that he was in the Denmark's Special Warfare Force that patrols Greenland by dog sled. Very worth watching his channel. Have a question. I have watched several of your recent videos and see you carrying your Sony camera. Which model is it you carry? For my wildlife I carry my Sony A7RIV, 61mp camera with 200-600mm lens (so sharp) to get a photo within a photo after cropping as you know, even with a telephoto, your subject is usually further away, small in the frame and needs cropping to enlarge the subject. Also carry my 20mm, f 1.8 for wide angle and Milky Way photography. Love your videos....so sharp!

[@RachelWhelton]

Oh yeah, I LOVE Morton. His sweaters and coffee and fireplace with his office chats are true masterpieces. And of course his animals. He is just mesmerizing. My camera is a Sony A7iv and it is a good match for me. And yeah I think it's got the 20mm 1.8 on it most of the time.

[@amerphoto1]

Yes, Morton is a humble, gentle man and such an interesting story of his past. Funniest video I ever saw of him was a time Morton and Thomas Heaton got on the pulk sled and flew down a hillside on it, hilarious! Your A7lV is a wonderful camera. I could tell from the controls on the body it is an A7 series and not the A1. My photography friend shoots with the Sony A1, with a 600mm prime. Jealous of her! 😂. We do share our lenses. I was out with mine this morning trying to get our eagles that have been feeding on a deer carcass but they must not wanted it for breakfast this morning!

[@mbierley9278]

Yes we vets from the 80s army around 86-87 honestly, invented what we called field mocha. u take MRE coffee and hot coco add the sugar packet and BOOM field Mocha.Now vets will it was invented in the 90s but really we were doing it in the 80s

[@RachelWhelton]

Field Mocha. I love it!

[@BadClamsVideos]

Amazing

[@RachelWhelton]

Thanks!

[@mimir.569]

Thank you ! I admire your wisdom and audacity !

[@RachelWhelton]

Thanks!