I actually DO live in Colorado!

Took yesterday off to go snowshoeing...there's not a lot of snow out there, but about 8 or 9 inches fell in the high country, which was enough to get out on the shoes. As usual, I was using my now-ancient Atlas 12-inchers and a pair of Columbia lite-hikers with gaiters. Once I get used to winter, I'll go to Gore-Tex sneakers and trick socks to get the weight off my feet.

The sneakers/soxs combo was the same one I used in my last (!!!) Iditasport race, where I discovered that, starting at about 20 below zero, my feet would freeze if I stopped longer than 5 minutes. I'd rather chain saw off my leg than do another Iditasport (3 was...sufficient). However, maybe the 20-miler in Leadville January 5 is not out of the question!

BTW, my current backcountry gun is an S&W 296 .44 Special 5-shot revolver. This Arlite Ti is, to me, the ultimate bellygun, the logical refinement of the old Fitz Special. It's a hammerless design, less than 19 ounces and built around the extremely effective .44 SilverTip round. Of course, it's out of production now--it lasted about 2 years in the S&W catalog. My theory is that no one bought it because it is BUTT-UGLY. Every time I look at the little gun, I am reminded of a comment a friend of mine's father, a Mississippi farmer, made upon seeing a classic Jaguar XKE+2 sedan--"It looks like a mule hunching over to take a dump." Recoil isn't awful with the SilverTips...at least, none of the fillings in my teeth fell out.

You can find them used in the $350 range now and then. If you don't want to wait, Taurus has a whole line of bellyguns, although I'm never sure what's in production and what's not.

My current holster choice for the backcountry is the weird-looking chest holster from Survival Sheath Systems. The gun hangs butt-down just below the breastbone. It's much easier to reach than a conventional shoulder holster--especially in winter gear, where the holster is accessible through the vertical vent zippers of most good shells. The holster doesn't get tangled up in packstraps or hydration systems, rides tight enough that you can run in the thing and is well enough designed that you don't even notice the weight of the gun. Plus, this will be proof positive to your friends that you've gone completely around the paranoid bend!