We had practiced in controlled environments several times,
but there were still many unforeseen challenges.
After a drive up full of miscommunication and mishaps, we finally arrived at the beginning of our hike several hours late. 
The additional challenge of navigating through a pure white landscape
through snow often more than a metre deep, resulted in our getting to the campsite with only about
3 hours left to build our shelters.  So we had meeting to confirm that we were up for the task and than ate a quick lunch and got to work promptly.

Breaking trail was a tiring chore, so we took turns leading.  The rolling terrain was also challenging.  A slope that is easy to hike up in the summer presents some difficulty when you are on snowshoes.

Walking across the lake was easier in some ways, but with the constant snow and wind, it looked like we were walking into some lost, forbidding landscape.

Once we began building our snow coffins we realized that there was plenty of snow and dead wood.  The problem was getting to the wood as we couldn't venture away from our central site without sinking almost waist high into the soft snow.  Constantly having to wear and remove snowshoes slowed down the process.
We had to work into the twilight hours, and the snow didn't stop the entire time.  The temperature was about +3, so the snow was wet and everybody got soaked.
Two of our leaders had to bail out, and walked to the cars in the remaining light.  (I still haven't heard from them, so maybe we'll find them in the spring...)
The remaining three leaders and four boys decided to stick it out.  Even with Jared's shelter collapsing in the last minute (due to a not to be repeated design flaw) several people who were close to finished pitched in and helped him rebuild. 

The work was exhausting.  It wasn't supposed to be wet, but because of the damp snow and warmer temperature, wetness became a real issue.  It was even difficult to quickly change into sleep clothes before getting into the shelters without getting covered in snow that would promptly melt. 
Many of us retired into sleeping bags at least a little damp.  But good planning paid off and most people dried off from body heat inside their shelters.

In the morning the temperature had dropped to at least -20 (probably colder).  I awoke in my shelter after a reasonably good night's sleep with the inside temp at about -5.  When I slid down the slope out of my shelter I was greeted with bright sunshine and biting cold air.  The temp difference was amazing. I just lay in my sleeping bag at the mouth of my shelter enjoying the sun and looking at the snow covered trees.

I found one of our leaders, Brian, sans shirt, busy digging out his shelter.  Two of the boys were up and two still snug in their shelters.  Everyone had had a good night in spite of a few cold feet.

"Minus 20?  Really??"

Wet clothes from the night before had frozen into caricatures of their wearers.  Some coats and boots had to be thawed beside a fire, along with frozen water bottles. 

"I'm supposed to
wear these..??!!"

Even after several trials we still had a few things to learn about making the perfect shelter.  Some were on an angle, causing people to slide outwards through the night.  In spite of Adam's large doorway, his shelter still kept him safe and warm.  

We enjoyed our hike out, taking a different route.  We were surprised at the lack of animal tracks in the snow.  I guess they were smarted than us, staying in their own shelters in this kind of weather.

Several of the boys expressed that this was the most extreme survival situation they had ever faced. 

Everybody came out of it with a deep sense of accomplishment.