Snow Camping
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Tim
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Jeff
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Jeff: So, Tim, you live in a nice natural spot.
Tim: Yeah, that's true.
Jeff: Lots of nature around where you live?
Tim: Yeah, I'm from Oregon. There's lots of nature. There's not a lot of towns really.
Jeff: And do you take advantage of it by doing any outdoor sports or activities or anything?
Tim: Yeah, I try to, like me and my friends, we go hiking. We camp. We backpack. Snow camp. Snowshoe. All kinds of stuff.
Jeff: Really. You snow camp?
Tim: Yeah, we snow camped before, yeah.
Jeff: So do you stay out or do you stay in a cabin or?
Tim: No, usually we go out. A lot of times it's snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. We go out and we build a little hut basically by digging down and go underneath and stay there for the night and come out. It's really cold.
Jeff: So, do you pull a sled behind you or do you carry your stuff?
Tim: Usually, we just put a pack on your back. Yeah.
Jeff: I want to try that.
Tim: Yeah, it's a lot of fun, but it's cold and usually you don't enjoy a lot of it until you done, and when you're done you think, "Ah, that was a great experience."
Jeff: Yeah, yeah. I think it would be good but, so is it very different from summer camping?
Tim: I think that the biggest thing is that when you go out there it's really, really silent. You don't see a lot of thing out and about because it's cold. So it's just really quiet and it's really, really peaceful.
Jeff: Is it safe? Can you die?
Tim: Yeah, it is relatively safe. People do die doing it. For the most part it's really safe. One time we were caught in a pretty bad storm and we were coming back. The biggest thing is we came out and our car was covered in snow and we couldn't get out so that was a pretty big deal. Luckily the cellphone worked though and we were able to eventually get out but we had to dig the car out and call come people to come out and help us.
Jeff: So do you follow a trail?
Tim: Sometimes. It just depends. Sometimes we just use navigation systems and just go out and go and pick points and go for it and sometimes we follow like ski trails that have like little diamonds on trees and you can point towards them and look for them and find them.
Jeff: So do you recommend winter camping to people?
Tim: Not unless you've had some outdoor experience. Not somebody who's just gonna go out there because you really got to look at the weather. You gotta have the right gear. If you don't have the right gear you'll freeze to death.
Jeff: So city people, don't winter camp.
Tim: Mostly yeah. I'd say city people better not winter camp, unless you've got somebody who's really experienced with you. I've taken my girlfriend out there and so you can do it as long as you're with somebody that knows what they are doing and you have the right gear cause if you don't have something that's waterproof and things that are going to keep water out you can't do it.
Jeff: Great.
a little hut
We go out and we build a little hut basically by digging down and stay there for the night.
A 'little hut' is a small, temporary shelter that can usually be constructed quite quickly, but isn't usually very durable.
Notice the following:
- I have a little hut in the garden, and I keep all of my tools in there.
- I think she has built herself a little hut so that she can keep the chickens in it.
relatively safe
It is relatively safe.
When something is 'relatively safe,' it means that it is not dangerous.
Notice the following:
- Going out at night is relatively safe.
- I think it is relatively safe round here, so you don't have to always lock your door.
big deal
Our car was covered in snow and we couldn't get out so that was a pretty big deal.
When something is a big deal, it means that it is a big issue. This can either mean that something is a big problem or that it is really important.
Notice the following:
- It was my birthday, so the meal was quite a big deal.
- She made such a big deal out of it.
freeze to death
If you don't have the right gear you'll freeze to death.
When you 'freeze to death,' it means that you die as a result
of the
cold. It can also be used as an exaggeration to say that you
were really cold.
Notice the following:
- You need to make sure that you wear the right type of protective clothing or you could freeze to death in the arctic.
- People who live in very cold places know how to live in the cold, and they don't usually freeze to death.
as long as
You can do it as long as you're with somebody that knows what they are doing.
'As long as' means that something happens or doesn't happen depending on another event. In the example, if you are with someone who knows what they are doing, you can go snow camping. If you are not with someone, you probably shouldn't go.
Notice the following:
- As long as there is water, we will be okay.
- She said that she will love me for as long as she lives.
Vocabulary Quiz
freeze • as long as
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