I groaned as I unzipped my sleeping bag and ice-cold air poured in—it’s a rude way to wake up—but at least I had been sleeping peacefully, while my breath formed a crust of ice around the opening of my sleeping bag throughout the night.

The temperatures had dropped well below -10 degrees Fahrenheit during the night along the Ottawa River in Ontario, Canada. It was time to get moving, even though the sun was still well below the horizon. I crawled out of my tent to a stunning scene: a four-foot layer of snow covered the entire landscape and hoar frost had coated all of the trees surrounding the water's edge overnight, making everything gleam in the early morning light. The air was so cold in comparison to the moving water that steam rolled off of its surface, making it appear as inviting as an outdoor hot tub while ice chunks floated in the eddy nearby.

There was no one else around. I had this fantastic landscape all to myself, equal parts incredible beauty and extremity-numbing discomfort, such is life when you are winter camping.

Need some inspiration to help you get outside in the winter? Check out my

Ode To Winter Camping

Winter camping has the potential to be the worst experience of your life. In all likelihood, you’ll grit your teeth and suffer through the extreme cold, long, dark, sleepless nights, hunger, malfunctioning gear, and a constant need to move to avoid losing digits.

Everything requires more work. Setting up camp can requirehours of digging snow pits and stomping tent platforms. Finding firewood and dry fuel can be tricky, as it’s often buried under several feet of snow. Drinking water is usually frozen. Cooking a meal and eating food is a serious chore, and your body is burning through calories like a speeding locomotive.

And don’t even get me started on exposing your backside when it’s time to for all that food you’ve been consuming to move along.

RELATED POST: HOW TO SLEEP GREAT WHILE CAMPING

The days are short, so your windows of sunshine and(relative) comfort are brief. The nights are long, sometimes feeling like they’ll never end.

And yet, winter camping is one of the best damn experiences you can have. I believe everyone who enjoys the great outdoors, loves nature and gets excited to go hiking should try winter camping at least once in their lifetime—I get that it might not be for everyone. But I think people would be surprised at how enjoyable it can be and here's why:

EXPERIENCE POPULAR PLACES—WITHOUT THE CROWDS

In winter, your competition for the best camp spots dwindlesto nothing and you can often have an entire recreation area to yourself. Whilemost everyone else is holed up at home watching movies, you can take some extratime to enjoy the view—without worrying about getting a move on to camp toclinch the perfect spot.

EXPERIENCE OTHER-WORLDLY BEAUTY

The world looks completely different under a fresh blanketof snow. Some of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever laid eyes upon have beenotherwise ‘normal’ settings after a winter storm. The scenes are oftenincredibly dramatic and give you a newfound appreciation for the places youvisit frequently in the summer months.

IMPROVE YOUR OUTDOOR SKILLS

So, you’ve mastered camping when the conditions are pleasantand that’s great! But, why not build on those skills? Winter camping forces youto step out of your comfort zone, learn new skills and to deepen existingskills—from lighting a fire in the snow to collecting snow for your drinkingwater, you’ll expand your knowledge base in just one overnight trip.

ENJOY THE OUTDOORS YEAR-ROUND

Even avid adventurers often hang up their hiking boots andcamping gear during the winter months. Once the snows have set in, they’re justwaiting for spring to get back out there but that doesn’t have to be the case.There’s a whole new season of possibilities out there waiting for you hidingunder all that snow and you may even surprise yourself and (gasp!) find youhave a new favorite season.

BECOME A LEGIT BADASS

Instead of talking about the latest series you binged on Netflix at your next get together, you’ll be able to tell tales of surviving sub-zero temps in the wilderness and in turn, your friends will be in awe, marveling at your fortitude while subsequently shaking their heads and calling you ‘crazy’. What’s perhaps more impressive than impressing people is that you will actually become more competent and capable—and as your skills develop—so will your self-confidence. There’s no better feeling than knowing you can handle the situation when conditions are downright brutal—no matter what kind of nasty weather gets thrown at you.