Hello,. I am new to these boards and look forward to learning. I am planning to attend Winter Hawk Mountain in a few weeks. Pointers on what to expect. I am concerned with packing too much gear to survive the cold night. Much of the weight is tent and water rations. How far will I need to hike this Basecamp type equipment? I am the only one from my unit going, so I don't know if there will be other tents available to share. Thanks
best to ask these questions directly to the Hawk Mountain cadre. But in general take only what's on the packing list.
What is your ES training background?
Generally, if you have not completed a Winter School before, you will be placed in the basic Squadron, which is designed to provide students with the knowledge of cold weather operations while keeping the students a little more "comfortable" than the students in the other squadrons. Most of the training will occur in a classroom as opposed to field problems.
As suggested, bring what is on the packing list.
Update and opinions=
My Cadet son attended. Also, 2 other cadets from our Squadron. If you follow the packing lists for 24 hour and 72 hour packs, you WILL have too much stuff and it will weigh too much. Trim your packs down to a survival over night pack and you will be good to go. Layers, and good waterproof sleep equipment. Food, Water, 1st Aid, Fire starter stuff. They provide a centralized fire to cook and warm up. They share tents, or you can use a survival tarp to save weight. They all did the Basic course and enjoyed it. They will attend again in 2020