Arlington Teen Camps Out In Backyard Snow Shelter

When given lemons in the form of 50 inches of snow, 13-year-old Duncan Sharp said he decided to make lemon slushies.

After a Boy Scout winter camping trip was cancelled, the Melrose Street resident decided to bring the camping experience closer to home, namely his backyard. 

And rather then pitch a tent, Duncan used his scouting background to build a snow shelter and then stay an entire night in his new "home."

"It's a pretty darn fun activity," said the 8th grader who attends the Manville School in Boston.

See a video of Duncan and his mom and their shelter on this web page.

Duncan's backyard adventure began when in preparation of a scouting trip, his mom, Laura Bagneall, purchased him a "zero degrees" sleeping bag that allows Duncan to camp out comfortably in temperatures well below freezing.

Despite unforeseen circumstances that forced the cancellation of the anticipated outing, Duncan was still desperate to try out his new sleeping bag. 

Exploring his backyard, he discovered a high pile of snow along the edge of the two-family house and decided he'd dig out the shelter – Duncan sometimes calls it "the snow fort" – close to home.

Following his Scout manual, he began digging out a hole just large enough for two people to fit a bit tight. The construction took just about two hours, much less than if he had to initially build the snow mound. 

See more photos of Duncan and his mom's Friday night backyard adventure here.

After bringing material to cover the "floor" of the shelter and closing the entry with a plywood door, Duncan and his mom spent Friday night and Saturday morning (the low that night was ) talking and playing Scrabble.

"Totally snug, totally warm. They are warmer than tents," said Bagnall, who was wrapped up in two sleeping bags.

"And it's important to be prepared with the right equipment," said Bagnall, who is a software engineer when not venturing into man-made snow caves.

The environs in the cramped space – claustrophobics shouldn't attempt this – was comfortable enough that Duncan woke up at 10 a.m., as per his usual Saturday wake up routine. 

While his mom may want to skip another night out in the wilds of Arlington, Duncan is more than happy to spend some more time in his shelter. 

"Why not? It's fun," he said.