Solo Winter Backpacking Trip - The Road to Saratoga

Solo Winter Backpacking trips are slowly becoming one of my favorite ways to escape. A snow covered landscape allows me to go almost anywhere I desire. The snow dampens all sounds, provides an ever present (well almost) water source, and gives the surroundings a new-found beauty.
Why did I embark on this journey?
I hiked the 211 mile John Muir trail last summer and it was an amazing experience. I still can't quite wrap my head around the idea of hiking that far without crossing a road or seeing any signs of civilization. I started to wonder what other areas in the United States could offer the same experience. Since I grew up in Wyoming, the least populated state, I figured it would be a good place to start. The longest stretch I could think of realistically doing without ignoring private property was from Centennial to Saratoga. There is a road between the two towns and they close it during the winter. It's 45 miles long. It's an area I've frequented for the past several years and I wanted to explore it some more. It is home to my first-ever backpacking trip, first winter camping trip, and much more. I never really explored the whole area. I stuck to the places I became familiar with. I was intrigued by what was beyond the peaks that you see early in this video. Do snowmobilers travel the whole distance? Or do they stop at the peaks too? Will I see lots of man-made things, or will they be covered in snow? Will it be like the John Muir trail where I felt completely immersed in nature? Will there be lots of non-natural noise? I really believed that after the first 15 miles or so, it would be just me out there. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The whole time I was on snow, I saw snowmobilers. The first day, I saw TONS. The second day, I saw 5-10. Late in the second day I learned that the road that I thought was closed most of the way into Saratoga, actually wasn't. In fact, about 25 miles of the 45 mile stretch was open. Once I hit the road I didn't see a soul......okay, I actually saw about 5 cars over the course of a day and a half, but it felt like I didn't see anybody. It was really funny to me that I saw fewer people on an open road than in the middle of National forest land with poor winter access. Overall, I found that this wasn't at all like the John Muir trail. However, the feelings I experienced on both thru hikes were similar. The middle of the trip is always hard, and so is the last day. Hiking on the road wasn't my ideal way to spend days away from work, but you know what? It wasn't that bad. In the video there are quite a few clips where I have a negative attitude. I filmed those moments intentionally because I think every trip has its ups and downs. I really enjoyed the whole trip and tried to give a fairly honest view of where I really was emotionally. The first day was perfect. The second day was perfect, but I got down on myself once I hit the open road. I camped at the first spot off of the road that made sense to camp at, and I didn't really like the spot. It turned out to be one of the best spots I've ever camped in. It totally blew away my expectations. A beautiful sunset, calm night, and a welcoming morning caught me off guard. I loved it! The third day was all road time. I actually wanted to put in a fourth day, but I realized that I wasn't going to be able to camp anywhere remotely good. I'd have to camp right off of the shoulder of the road with no protection whatsoever and no easy water source. I put in over 20 miles to get into Saratoga. The last clip you see is the last thing I filmed. It wasn't the last hill. There were about 2 more hills with a long 8 mile downhill into the town. I would have filmed more, but it wouldn't have been fun to watch. The landscape was flat, windy and barren. I was physically exhausted, and was down on the fact that I really didn't have a good camping option. I knew that would be the case from my planning, but was ignorant and thought, "I'll just improvise. I'm sure there will be something." There wasn't.
I went out with the intent to make a great video. I got out there and it went to the bottom of my priority list. I was either having too much fun and wanted to enjoy the moment, or was sick of hiking on the road and didn't want to film. When I came back and looked at the footage I wondered if I even should make a video. I think there's some good stuff, so I hope you do too. That's why I'm sharing. I really hope this makes you smile, frown, wonder why, or feel something. Let's face it, we've all been here (without actually being HERE). I hope I captured enough from the spectrum of emotions we all feel to make it relatable. After all, without the challenges and successes, it wouldn't be worth doing at all. If you hate this video, let me know. If you enjoy it, share it, like it and let me know. I really don't know what I think of this video yet. I'm really counting on your feedback here. Anything you have to say will be very much appreciated :-)

[@AdventureArchives]

Haha, that getting high bit made me laugh. Glad I found this channel. I can't imagine how incredible it must feel to be out in the snowy mountains on a solo trip.

[@inspireAson]

I just got back from another adventure and thought about planning an interruption when telling all of you what elevation I was at. The snowmobile was completely unplanned. You can't replicate that haha. Glad you enjoyed it man! Winter solo trips are fun. You don't have to worry about insects, thunder, lightning, rain, animals (as much). It's my favorite time to backpack.

[@Featheredprop]

This is an awesome video, Chris! Beautiful scenery.

[@inspireAson]

featheredprop Thanks! It's beautiful, and will always be one of my favorite areas because of the adventures I've had there. I love it! - Chris

[@cliffdiver100]

That was a cool video man. Keep up the good work

[@inspireAson]

+Aaron Gray Thanks Aaron. I really appreciate it. I'll probably do more in the area this winter. It's one of the best places I've found to experience winter (though it can get extremely cold some days.) Glad you enjoyed it. :) - Chris

[@damiontaylor24]

Very beautiful! Thank you for sharing !

[@inspireAson]

Damion Taylor Thanks for watching! I really appreciate the feedback. :) - Chris

[@JMTEAMROPER1]

Absoulutely love it!!!

[@inspireAson]

Thanks! Such a nice compliment. I'm looking forward to the snowy months so I can do more snowshoeing. It's such a great experience. :) - Chris

[@adamfleck57]

can't like this enough. watched last year two. my favorite winter backpacking video.

[@inspireAson]

+Adam Fleck I REALLY appreciate your comment, Adam. I was just logging on really quick and your comment made my night. Very glad you like it and thanks for stopping back by to watch it again! That's about the best compliment I could get. Thanks! :-) - Chris

[@adamfleck57]

Raw emotion. No script. You inspired me. So thank you. And thanks for the awesome reply

[@TheoutdooradventureNet]

Nice. Thanks fro bringing us along Chris!

[@inspireAson]

The Outdoor Adventure My pleasure, Paul! Thanks for watching. It brought back plenty of JMT memories. I realized that my planning isn't nearly as good as yours haha! :) - Chris

[@teec3385]

What an amazing adventure my friend. Thanks for taking us along. Great stuff bud!!!

[@inspireAson]

Absolutely, Tee Campez! Thank you for watching :) - Chris

[@E5Jake]

Excellent video. So, I'm not the only one that packs a beer in my backpack?

[@inspireAson]

Ha, nope, you're not the only one. Unfortunately the beer was frozen when I woke up the second day. I should have drank it on the fist night. I'm not really an ultralight guy. I like to make videos, drink beer, and experience beautiful country :-) - Chris

[@chrisdaniel8306]

You seem to have a really well suited personality for making these types of videos. Great Journey, thanks for sharing!

[@inspireAson]

Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate it and I'm glad you enjoyed the Journey. Thanks for watching! - Chris

[@Walknbout]

that's a very bright outfit

[@inspireAson]

Ha, you've got that right. I like Marmot and they're known for bright colored gear. Not my first choice for color, but all of it was very affordable and high quality. If I ever get lost, I should stick out. ;) - Chris

[@mattelliott3674]

"Keep it under 40". Looks like that was a beautiful hike.

[@inspireAson]

I definitely kept it under 40 M.P.H.. Better safe than sorry right Matt Elliott? It's a very beautiful area. Thanks for watching! :) - Chris

[@shirleyzolman9212]

wonderful video thank you I am unable to do this so its nice to watch you adventure.

[@inspireAson]

Thank you for watching Shirley! Glad I could share my adventure with you. Can't tell you how much I appreciate your support. :-) Chris

[@ShawBen]

"Jokes kindve on everyone that's not here if I have white sunscreen spots all over my face" ... that was brilliant!

[@NovaHiker50]

Excellent video! I've never done a solo overnight hiking trip and am not sure if I would (or could) but I certainly enjoyed watching yours.... You are a pro at cinematography and my hat is off to you for the trip and for the video.

[@inspireAson]

Nova Hiker Wow! Thanks so much. I really appreciate the compliment on my cinematography. I'm always working on improving my videos to make them more engaging and tell a better story, so I greatly appreciate it. Do you mainly just head out on day trips? I honestly never really cared much for backpacking until the last 2 years or so. I'm loving it lately, though. Again, thanks so much for the feedback! - :)

[@russlittle7576]

i would like to go too

[@KdawgCrazyOutdoors]

Re watching this vid. I know what you mean. I get out on a hike and sometimes just want to enjoy it and stop filming. I did that on iron creek lake trail in spearfish canyon. I enjoyed the hike more but I'm kicking myself because it was so beautiful out there in the snow and ice but I got very little usable footage to do a vid. It's definitely a different experience when you film the trips. The first time I watched this video was for your tent. Great tent. What sleeping bag did u use?

[@inspireAson]

Thanks for watching...twice! Haha, I actually wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make a movie from my trip because the footage was so scattered. I'm still not sure how I feel about the video, but it was one of those, "Make due with what you have" situations. Plus it's always fun to relive the moments I did capture. Do you have the Nemo Meta 1p? I used a Mountain Hardwear -15 degree bag. It's 600 fill down. I don't know the specific model name. I got it as a gift about 4 years ago or so and don't remember the specifics. It's a great bag though. I've never been cold in that thing. - Chris

[@KdawgCrazyOutdoors]

inspireAson I had been eyeing the Meta 1p and was looking at vids of it one day when I came across yours. That bag sounds nice and toasty. It was pretty compact when you got it back in the stuff sack. LOL.

[@inspireAson]

I have a 0 degree synthetic bag from many years ago and it's about twice the size of that -15 down bag. I'll pay more for down despite its drawbacks. Keep it dry and nothing can compare. - Chris

[@KdawgCrazyOutdoors]

inspireAson Definitely worth it to go with down. Just so darn expensive.

[@douglasleonhardt5967]

GREAT VIDEO! What was the tent you were using?

[@inspireAson]

+Douglas Leonhardt (BackpackerPA) Thanks Douglas! Really glad to hear that you enjoyed this one. That's the Nemo Meta 1p shelter. - Chris

[@sipapito]

what is the name of the song?@ 2:10 thank you!

[@RogerF]

Did you make it to Saratoga?

[@inspireAson]

I did! I was a little worse for wear the last 8 miles or so. It was a long 25+ mile day on the road. The last day was rough to me, but it was a great trip overall. Thanks for watching! :) - Chris

[@michaelshevchenko9407]

Dude you are always leaving your camera behind.

[@inspireAson]

+Michael Shevchenko Ha, you can call me Mr. Forgetful. ;) - Chris