2019 Backpacking/Camping Season

2019-02-05 It's been quite a Fall-Winter so far here in SE Wisconsin. For months it looked like this may be a mild, uneventful winter. Then in November we got a wet heavy seven inches or so of snow. But it warmed up afterwords and December was not at all winter-like. Nor was January. I was almost tempted a couple times to get out some camping gear and go outside. Then February.... About 18 inches of snow in two storms. Two nights of -25 degrees (-45 wind chill) surrounded by days that didn't rise above zero. Now tonight, heavy freezing rain, after two days in the 40s which melted a large portion of those 18 inches of snow! And it is just the fifth of February. Now we're wondering if there will be a Spring or Summer!?

But not withstanding, we're making some plans. The last weekend of April or first weekend of May my two sons, one grandson and I are planning a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters, the one that had to be scrapped last Fall due to weather. In addition my wife and I are just beginning to think about at least one camping trip with our two local grand-kids. And our grandson here in town wants to camp again for his birthday in July, a repeat of last year. Finally we'll likely go on our church Wisconsin River canoe trip again in August. So some ideas are developing to get us out of doors this coming year.

Oh, how could I forget this. Perhaps the most important of all will be the Ham Radio Field Day the third weekend of June. Like last year, it should be a lot of fun and I've been working feverishly on my new portable QRP x5105 transceiver and light weight antennas! I'm even hopeful of getting out in the wild with my portable gear other times as well and get some use and fun out of those antennas!