SNOWSHOE SASHAY WINTER HIKING A COOL WAY TO AVOID THE CROWD.

BADGER PASS - Camping in winter in Yosemite National Park is just like summer camping except your hands and feet go a little numb when the temperature dips to 11 degrees and it's pretty hard to see the scenery when snow is blowing in your face. But it's also uncrowded and unbelievably beautiful.

I'm with the High Adventure Team, or ``HAT,'' a unit of Boy Scout Troop 642 from Simi Valley. The team is practicing winter camping skills in preparation for an attempt to climb 14,162-foot Mt. Shasta in northern California in early June. The team hasn't made the summit the two times they've tried it, and they're hoping the third attempt will be the charm.

We leave Simi Valley at oh-dark-early for the drive to Yosemite's Badger Pass Ski area. The plan is to snowshoe or ski from the parking area along Glacier Point Trail before heading north cross-country and establishing a base camp. Snow depths are reported at nine feet.

Five boys ranging in ages from 13 to 17 are making the trek, accompanied by three adults. The troop is a scout-led operation, says 45-year-old Scoutmaster Rich Rasmussen. That means the scouts do the planning, provisioning, and decision making for the expeditions while the adults advise and act as a ``safety net.''

``I've watched the scout trip leader miss a turn on a trail,'' says Bruce Campbell, an assistant Scoutmaster. ``I ask them if they're sure this is the right direction, and if they say yes, I just follow along. It's hard to keep quiet, but they learn from making mistakes.''

Most of the troop is on snowshoes; Rasmussen and I are skiing. The troop takes turns as human huskies pulling plastic sleds packed with communal gear like tents and food.

We turn off the road after about three miles and head through the woods toward McGurk Meadow. One of the scouts sets wands topped with a bit of bright plastic every few hundred yards, a Hansel and Gretel trick to help us find our way back. The plan is to stop early to establish a campsite. The snow is coming down intermittently as we reach the meadow.

``Everything takes longer in winter, and you have to allow for that,'' says Rasmussen. The scouts pick a spot next to the meadow sheltered by trees. Some of the scouts pitch tents, while others and the adults get busy digging the ``kitchen.''

The team digs an impressive pit about four feet deep, with benches along the sides for seating and work ace. Then they erect a fly over it, and we have a relatively cozy hole in the snow for cooking, eating, and conversation.

Shane Dickerson, 13, of Simi Valley, fires up a couple of backpacking stoves and sets them on aluminum plates so they won't disappear into the snow. He's melting snow for drinking and cooking water.

Dinner is precooked stew and the crew wolfs it down. When night falls there isn't much to do except crawl into your tent and try to keep warm. I've fairly comfortable despite sleeping in a tent pitched on the snow. I'm in a down sleeping bag on two backpacking pads. A reflective space blanket tarp provides some extra insulation.

The next morning the scouts are a little reluctant to leave their warm cocoons, but eventually they get breakfast started and discuss the day's activities. The plan is to head for Taft Point, which should give us a view into Yosemite Valley if the snow lets up.

We follow Bridalveil Creek as it heads toward the Falls. The snow forms bridges over the creek, so it's actually easier to follow the stream than in summer when we'd be scrambling over downed trees and boulders. The scenery is quietly stunning. You definitely won't see many other campers in winter. The Park Service issued 3,756 backcountry permits in Yosemite last August, but only 380 in March.

For this hike I've elected to try snowshoes and am very impressed. The Atlas shoes are high-tech marvels made of aluminum and plastic with hinged bindings and built in crampons to grip the snow. A big improvement on the old style made of bent wood and rawhide that looked like you were wearing lacrosse sticks on your feet.

Snowshoeing is the fastest growing winter sport, according to Karen Righthand of the Atlas Snow-Shoe Company. She says this is partly due to innovation in the product, which she compares to the rapid evolution of mountain bikes. She also mentions that they sold 1,000 pairs to the Defense Department right after the Afghan winter campaign started, but she can't give details.

With our late start we don't make Taft Point by our agreed turn-around time, so we head back to camp after a break to eat some lunch. We spend two nights camped in the snow before heading home, picking up the marker wands as we go. I take a turn dragging the sled. Mush!

``The purpose of the HAT team is to keep older scouts engaged in scouting,'' says Rasmussen. ``They have a lot of other distractions in high school: cars, girls, sports. We want to provide some challenging activities. The boys' interest has led us toward mountaineering.''

Watching some of the adult leaders as they tramp pseudo-alien ``crop circles'' in the snow and generally horse around, it strikes me that scouting is as much an opportunity for adults to be kids again as it is for the boys to learn adult decision-making and leadership skills.

Davey Freeman, 13, is on his first trip with HAT. ``I've been in scouting for eight years,'' he says. ``I always wanted to go with HAT. Finally I got to an age when I felt I could do the stuff they were doing.''

His mother, Ilene Freeman, says, ``I'm excited for him. I did not have fear about the backpack trips in the snow. I know the leaders and the boys have gone through many years of training and experience. Some of the kids have been going for seven years in all kinds of weather. They know what to do.''

``I knew that I needed to get Davey some new gear because this was his first snow hike. I got him a better waterproof jacket and splurged and got him down booties so he could keep his toes warm in camp.''

``When I picked him up on Sunday, his first words were, 'Mom, the gear worked great. I stayed warm and dry.' ''

``I was brought up outdoors,'' she says. ``My parents were avid scouters. Our family has a great appreciation for the outdoors and I hope that through this program our kids will share that same appreciation.''

The Boy Scouts have been getting some negative press lately over gay issues, and scouting participation is down slightly, according to Rasmussen. But for many, the Boy Scouts were the first real introduction to the outdoors. That hasn't changed.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) no caption (people snowshoeing with backpacks)

(2) Jason Havstad, 16, of Simi Valley stirs some stew during a three-day HAP snow-camping trip to Yosemite National Park

Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News