Occupy forecast: cold and getting colder.
The Mountaineers will not be taking a formal position on the urban camping that’s going on at Occupy Seattle.

However, Martinique Grigg, the group’s executive director, was happy to offer some general tips on staying warm in a tent during a cold Puget Sound fall and winter.

“You definitely want to put insulation between yourself and the ground,” Grigg said. “Just a foam camping pad would work. Also, I would put a tarp beneath the tent, which will keep the tent from absorbing water from the ground if the ground gets wet... The smaller the tent, the better, because it allows you to trap heat." (“Or,” she added, “pack more people in the tent and snuggle up, because body heat will help.”)

As for clothes: “Lots of layers, no cotton.” Musts include: A warm hat, gloves, wool or nylon pants, polypropylene or wool long underwear, a fleece jacket, and a waterproof shell jacket.

Also, Grigg said, “warm fluids." Think: a Thermos full of chicken soup or hot chocolate.

What about just a flask full of Whiskey? That work?

“I believe that’s kind of a myth,” Grigg said. “It makes you feel warm but it requires a lot of energy to process the alcohol, so it’s actually counterproductive.”

Sigh. Well, anyway: EAT. “You burn more calories trying to keep warm,” Grigg said. So: Peanutbutter, cheese, meat sticks, McDonald’s French fries.

And, uh, where does one go to the bathroom while winter camping?

“Some climbers at really extreme altitudes will have pee bottles,” Grigg said. “We practice leave-no-trace, and when it comes to pooping, they call it blue-bagging.”

Which is exactly what it sounds like: You poop in a little blue bag, kind of like the ones used for picking up after dogs. “Carry in, carry out, that’s something we always practice,” Grigg said.

Say you're winter camping around a lot of people, and you’re feeling shy—can you blue bag inside your tent?

“You don’t want to poop where you sleep,” Grigg said. “That’s an official Mountaineers opinion."