Winter on the way in Cle Elum drainage

Here's a picture from Thorp Lake in the Cle Elum drainage taken Wed to whet your appetite for winter. I thought I might toss in a couple of pictures of a couple of items that that make snow camping a lot easer for me.  Maybe everyone does these things but I'd never know. 

When you get out of the sleeping bag in the morning is so easy to dump all the warmth you have built up and not know it until you start to feel chilled. It's all over then. The trick is to avoid getting out of the bag after bedtime as much as possible. That is, to consider the bag a tent within a tent. As your body cools down at 4 or 5 in the morning, you add layers while in the bag. When it's time to get up, you get fully dressed for skiing (except outerwear) within the bag.

The first pic is of a LED pinch light that I wear on a cord around my neck. It's the first version amber Photon light that is not too bright inside the bag. Newer ones are almost painfully bright in such a confined space. There is a little piece of foam on the top side of the light so that it's comfortable to hold between my teeth, freeing both hands.

The second picture is of a mesh bag made of mosquito netting that holds the small stuff I will want during the night: gloves, extra socks, my refillable butane lighter, watch/altimeter/barometer. The mesh lets you see what's inside. The bag has an elastic cord closure, and also a small Velcro tab to attach it to something convenient like a zipper pull.  Before I started using this bag I was always loosing one sock or one glove somewhere in the bag; a big hassle. Besides putting the mesh bag in the sleeping bag for the evening, I also stretch my ski pants out along the draft tube - legs not twisted up (!) as well as my fleece jacket arranged so that I can get it on without twisting into a pretzel.

I envy those who don't need to bother with all this sort of stuff. My excuse is that I have Reyanuds, meaning my hands go white and numb at the drop of a hat.

You didn't mention your old Optimus stove. A classic! I used to have one something that, but with a hinged lid. That was a long time and many stoves ago. It's nice to see a well-used piece of gear that's still in service.