02-26-2017, 03:41 AM
Fished Strawberry today with three other folks. It was -25 or -20 (depending upon whose thermometer was the most accurate) when we arrived. Joined the crowd heading out of the parking lot at The Strawberry Marina. Early on, I was catching a few and missing several bites because I was concentrating on keeping my hands warm. The others were struggling to find any fish.
After awhile, Randy and I decided to take our tents down and hike even further. We caught a few more fish at the new location.
I decided to turn my heater on to get it a little warmer in my tent. While attaching the burner some propane escaped from the tank and onto the tank. Apparently, I didn't give it enough time to evaporate because when I lit it flames shot out for a second or two. I was standing there being grateful that I wasn't injured and that the tent wasn't on fire when I noticed that the tent flaps had been pulled out from under the snow that I had shoveled on them, all the way around the tent. Until then I hadn't realized that there had actually been a little explosion. I started unzipping the shack to secure it again (I hadn't staked it down because it was holding fine with all of the snow shoveled on the skirt) when the breeze caught it and away it went. I ran and walked as fast as I could through about 8 inches of snow and finally it stopped after rolling for at least 1/2 of a mile. It was not fun carrying the collapsed tent, in my arms against the wind, all the way back to where I had been fishing. No damage to the tent and only damage was the line melted on the two fishing rods that I had down the holes.
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After awhile, Randy and I decided to take our tents down and hike even further. We caught a few more fish at the new location.
I decided to turn my heater on to get it a little warmer in my tent. While attaching the burner some propane escaped from the tank and onto the tank. Apparently, I didn't give it enough time to evaporate because when I lit it flames shot out for a second or two. I was standing there being grateful that I wasn't injured and that the tent wasn't on fire when I noticed that the tent flaps had been pulled out from under the snow that I had shoveled on them, all the way around the tent. Until then I hadn't realized that there had actually been a little explosion. I started unzipping the shack to secure it again (I hadn't staked it down because it was holding fine with all of the snow shoveled on the skirt) when the breeze caught it and away it went. I ran and walked as fast as I could through about 8 inches of snow and finally it stopped after rolling for at least 1/2 of a mile. It was not fun carrying the collapsed tent, in my arms against the wind, all the way back to where I had been fishing. No damage to the tent and only damage was the line melted on the two fishing rods that I had down the holes.
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