When I was a young man, our scout troop would participate in a "Winter Freezer-ee" each winter. This annual camping activity was sponsored by the BSA district and occurred in late January or early February each year. We camped at the "South End" (about 10 miles south of Smoot, Wyoming on US Highway 89). There were usually about 10 - 15 troops that participated.
The troop would travel to the camping location on a Saturday morning. We would locate a place to build a snow cave and then spend a couple of hours creating a snow cave to sleep in. By early afternoon, we would have our snow cave finished and then spend some time sliding down the snow covered hill on inner tubes and/or sleds. We would then go home.
The next weekend, we would return to the camping location on Friday evening after school. By then the snow would settle and freeze so there was less danger of the snow cave collapsing while we slept in it. We would cook tinfoil dinners over the fire, play in the snow, and then sleep in the snow cave that night. The next day (Saturday) we would play in the snow some more and then go home.
Most of the boys in other troops that came to the freezer-ee would dig a snow cave by tunneling under the snow to make a cave big enough for two or three boys. However, our scoutmasters required us all to invest time to build a single snow cave that was big enough for the whole troop.
We would mark out a space in the snow about 10 feet wide by about 15 feet long. Then we would dig all of the snow out of that space down to the frozen ground. The snow was usually about 3 feet deep. We would throw the snow we removed outside the edge of the rectangle space and build up the sides. When we were finished, we had a hole in the snow with sides about 5 feet high.
We would then place a dead tree as a pole down the middle of the hole and spread a large sheet of Visqueen plastic sheeting over the entire hole. We would carefully secure the Visqueen along all four edges of the hole. Next, we placed pine boughs on top of the Visqueen but secured with one end on the middle pole and one end on the side of the hole. Last, we would shovel snow back on top of the pine boughs. In the end, we had a large snow cave. Inside the cave, we would have the bare ground as a floor, snow for walls, and plastic (covered with pine boughs and snow) for a ceiling. On one side of the snow cave, we would dig a doorway into the cave.
When we returned to sleep in the cave the next week, we would bring bales of straw to spread on the floor of the snow cave and to use for a door to block the cold air after we were inside the cave. With our whole troop in the snow cave at night, it would get to be quite warm (relatively). We all slept snug as a bug in our well-insulated snow cave.
The troop would travel to the camping location on a Saturday morning. We would locate a place to build a snow cave and then spend a couple of hours creating a snow cave to sleep in. By early afternoon, we would have our snow cave finished and then spend some time sliding down the snow covered hill on inner tubes and/or sleds. We would then go home.
The next weekend, we would return to the camping location on Friday evening after school. By then the snow would settle and freeze so there was less danger of the snow cave collapsing while we slept in it. We would cook tinfoil dinners over the fire, play in the snow, and then sleep in the snow cave that night. The next day (Saturday) we would play in the snow some more and then go home.
Most of the boys in other troops that came to the freezer-ee would dig a snow cave by tunneling under the snow to make a cave big enough for two or three boys. However, our scoutmasters required us all to invest time to build a single snow cave that was big enough for the whole troop.
We would mark out a space in the snow about 10 feet wide by about 15 feet long. Then we would dig all of the snow out of that space down to the frozen ground. The snow was usually about 3 feet deep. We would throw the snow we removed outside the edge of the rectangle space and build up the sides. When we were finished, we had a hole in the snow with sides about 5 feet high.
We would then place a dead tree as a pole down the middle of the hole and spread a large sheet of Visqueen plastic sheeting over the entire hole. We would carefully secure the Visqueen along all four edges of the hole. Next, we placed pine boughs on top of the Visqueen but secured with one end on the middle pole and one end on the side of the hole. Last, we would shovel snow back on top of the pine boughs. In the end, we had a large snow cave. Inside the cave, we would have the bare ground as a floor, snow for walls, and plastic (covered with pine boughs and snow) for a ceiling. On one side of the snow cave, we would dig a doorway into the cave.
When we returned to sleep in the cave the next week, we would bring bales of straw to spread on the floor of the snow cave and to use for a door to block the cold air after we were inside the cave. With our whole troop in the snow cave at night, it would get to be quite warm (relatively). We all slept snug as a bug in our well-insulated snow cave.
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