A single digit night, an unending wind, and camping over four feet of snow is about as exteme a backpacking trip as I've had, so far.

But I have read that some native tribes believed that God dwelt in winter, and facing cold and snow and wind would purify your soul.

That was the furthest thing from my mind though, when my feet started hurting and I began worrying about frostbite. The fire I built in the snow wasn't much of a help, since my boots were so cold that the fire's warmth had little effect on my aching feet. I didn't think it would be wise to take off my boots in that temperature with the steady wind blowing. Hiking out to the truck wasn't an option, as it was a long hike, in snowshoes, and I needed some immediate relief.

What I did was pay attention to how my dogs handled the cold, by alternating intervals of exploring and playing in the winter forest with periods of resting and warming in the comfort of our tent.

I peeled off my boots and crawled into my sleeping bag, then rubbed my feet together until circulation returned. I stuffed my boots into the bag with me, so they would not be so cold when I was ready to go again. I dozed off and after about an hour or so got up and put on two fresh sets of wool hiking socks I had along, and left the comfort of my tent revived and ready to pick up camp and move on.

I have heard it said that as long as you are able to get out of the weather in a warm and dry sleeping bag, you can survive almost anything while backpacking, and I guess my experience tends to support that view.

So here it is Saturday night, and my tough winter backpacking trip is history. I feel the stronger for it, and have some more stories to tell, which is always one of the benefits of taking the effort to journey to the high country. I can tell you this much, I am darn pleased to be facing an evening of shuffling around a hardwood floor with pretty ladies in my arms, rather than maybe lying in a hospital trying to restore frozen toes. Common sense, and following the example of my smart border collies, probably helped me avoid that fate.