Spruce trap - How to escape one

I often hike alone in winter in the Daks. I've dropped in a spruce trap or two and spent 10 - 20 minutes extricating myself.

I'm wondering if there are any tips you could offer if I ever fell in the mother of all spruce traps. (Do they ever top 6' feet?)

The problem seems to be that once you drop in one, your snowshoes get entagled in the branches or get covered in snow so that you are anchored there.

BTW, it's not that I don't like hiking with others; I mostly hike midweek and want to go places others aren't interested in going or I want to camp the night. So I end up on solo hikes.

Any suggestions? I've been lucky so far. But it would be nice to be proactive. Thanks

Ahhh.. spruce traps... the nemesis of winter hikers (especially winter bushwhackers)...

I have dealt with many spruce traps over the years ranging from the leg biters to the "venus spruce traps", which are of the man eating variety... The deepest that I have ever gone was up to my neck, and the longest time it has taken me to get out of one was maybe 3 minutes.

What I typically do if I can't just pull myself straight out is to push hard backwards and roll out. Works pretty well...

Spring 2001, I was on a hike up to Liberty and the snow pack was 7 feet in places. On the descent, I purposely jumped into a spruce trap, knowing (well, at least hoping) that my companions would pull me out if I could not extricate myself. I was in up to my chest and wriggled side to side and sort of swam out of the trap. Having hiking poles helped since I was able to use them to push down on the unconsolidated snow around the trap to get out. I did not have snow shoes on, which would have made getting out harder, I’m sure.

I don’t know about the ‘daks this year, but I suspect you’d have little trouble with man/woman-eating spruce traps this year in the Whites. The snow pack seems to be very low. Hiking up to Eisenhower as the end of February, I think we didn’t see much more that 3 or 4 ft. of snow cover at the most.

What follows is definitely not LNT practice and should be used only in the event of a real emergency, i.e., you're stuck in the trap and injured or you're stuck and truly cannot get out because your limbs and/or snowshoes are wedged in. (It happens. A SAR friend of mine fell upside down into a deep tree well out West, while wearing her pack and snowshoes. Her 2-way radio was what got her out that day.)

A folding saw, of the type that could be worn hanging from a belt or stuffed in a backpack pocket, should be in the winter equipment list of every solo traveler and every group. If you're bleeding after falling into the trap, or you have a fracture or dislocation, the saw might make the difference between a story to tell and a story to be deciphered. The saw can also make a world of difference in assembling a life-saving fire after a dunking or other calamity. And when the windstorm blocks the forest road out to the highway, you'll have something to do while you're waiting for a bigger saw to arrive.

As in any traping or mugging it is important to scream your loudest, hit the tree, smack the tree until it gives up! If this doesn't work try reasoning with it. If that doesn't work play dirty!

Spruce trap? What spruce trap?

While I guess it is possible to break a leg going into a spruce trap, the likelyhood has got to be rather slim. Going in head first, however seems more possible.

I find the most important thing is to calm down and think. Easy to say from the comforts of the keyboard, but more diificult when it's your 3rd sprucetrap in 10 feet. After the 5th one, I find myself just too tired to get angry.

It helps to get those side zips up and put on the mitten shells if they're not on.

For most traps, first I try to walk, push, and climb out with a modest effort, but no real thought. Rolling out is one method that I too have used when the area around the trap is firm consolidated snow. If your in an area with many traps, then this may not work. When it's deep, I like to lay my pole flat on the surface of the snow. Give me some thing to push on.

Once I find myself trapped, then I stop and looking into the situation ... specificallly the branch or branches holding my foot.

When the snowshoe goes under a branch, and the tip of the shoe is caught, I find the best way to get it out is to lift the tail up. Some times this can be done using your pole. Meaning jam your pole behind the tail of your shoe. Pull up and press the snow basket against the back edge of the shoe to lift the tail. It's not easy, but as they say, practice makes perfect. (If you want more practice, I recommend the NH 100 in winter) If you have to, you can reach down in there and pull up on the tail of the shoe. If you're doing this with your hand then you've probably already removed your pack.


JHS

Great thread. Like BrentD22, I've found that the "cursing and kicking the tree into submission" method works best

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As in any traping or mugging it is important to scream your loudest, hit the tree, smack the tree until it gives up! If this doesn't work try reasoning with it. If that doesn't work play dirty!
***

You can also wait there and hope ole Tom Bombadil comes walking by...

Cursing always helps, even if only to make you feel better.

I was caught in a good one where I was waist deep into it and my snowshoes were wedged in some hidden branches. I used the same technique used when you get a car stuck in the snow: I heaved and hoed back and forth until I could get one leg loose. The second one came much easier. But it took about 10 minutes.

And yes, they can get deeper than 6 feet. During a failed attempt on Mt Isolation a few years ago, my hiking partner fell into one and went in over his head. His yells brought me close to him, a bit too close as I nearly stepped on his submerged head. Luckily, he was able to extricate himself without my help because his snowshoes were not entangled in any branches.

JohnL

you might consider carrying post-hole emergency gear:

They don't just trap humans

Many years ago I was bushwhacking up Street Mt in the ADKs with a group of friends, including 2 dogs. At one point after a rest stop we noticed one of the dogs was not in sight. After calling for several minutes we started searching the area. After about 20 minutes one friend looked down to find the dog sitting quietly looking up out of a spruce hole. The owner went in and lifted the dog out.

Damb Tree...

Spray the tree with mase!!!!!!!!! Be sure to take a picture so you can press charges with the Gorham Police when you get down!

arm: that gear would seem to only work on the Long Trail.

Another thing to try is to cross your ski pole into an X, place them on the snow and push off. This will help you have a (more) stable platform.

My personal worse trap was on a winter bushwhack from Edmands col to Lowe's Path after a failed Jefferson attempt. Can't really call it a bushwhack as there are few bushes up there, but we were off trail in a whiteout, contouring toward Lowe's to get ourselves back to Grey Knob cabin. Grey Knob trail had been completely blown over. Knowing the terrain fairly well, we took a compass bearing directly to Lowes' (big cairns, well traveled). We got to the trail, and as we were walking down, I was 10 feet off trail. I dropped into a spruce trap/hole over my head. Extending my arms above my head, my hands were still 6 inches below the lip! My brother fortunately turned and could see my poles as I clanged them together. When I looked down to pull my snowshoes loose, I realized that I was perched on a tree and rock with another deep hole below me. Unnerving to say the least, although my brother had a great laugh at my expense. If I were alone, I'd still be in that hole.

Ooohh those spruce traps are diabolical, like a chinesefinger trap. I have fallen in a few and usually you can roll around until the snow is packed enough to get your feet under you again and claw your way out. I remember once I twisted so bad when I fell that one shoe was pointed backward with the other on top of it and both tangled with branches. Whenever I moved it pulled my muscles. i finally worked my torso around and uncorked my legs but boy did I feel helpless for a few minutes.