I haven’t used this company personally but I know of a few people who have. I already live in Australia so I don’t need a tour!

Good Luck!

http://www.parks.wa.gov/

http://gonw.about.com/od/parkswa/Parks_Forests_in_Washington_State.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colville_National_Forest

In Eastern WA your closest will be the colville Nat forest. THe Okanogan and Kaniksu forests are close- contact the ranger stations where you will be able to ask about “Off the grid” camping and fire regs.

Going outside campgrounds may be allowed in someplaces, fires may be a little trickier for safety reasons.

If you are going out into the howling wilderness, make sure you have a clearly filed hiking plan, someone knows where you are going, what route you will take and when you will be back, and check IN and OUT with the ranger stations so they know you got out safely.

To be honest, the regulations in the Adirondacks, particularly on Marcy, are a real pain in the a$$ for some reason. It is heavily regulated as far as where you can camp and what equipment you need, as compared to other parks I have climbed and hiked in. You MUST take snowshoes or skis, and they won’t let you travel without them….this is understandable since the xc ski trails get destroyed by people postholing along them. So if you don’t have snowshoes or skis, you will need to rent them. I’m sure that The Mountaineer in Keene (nearby) rents snowshoes. Technically you are supposed to use bear containers, too, which is silly in the middle of winter when you can easily bag your food in a tree and no bear is going to be wandering around looking for food. The locations at which you can camp are also heavily regulated. There are specific designated areas and I believe there is a max elevation at which you can camp…the rules seem very conflicting and confusing, so do your hw before you leave as to where you can camp…and the rangers DO travel around and give people a hard time here! So don’t expect to get away with anything. Of course, be sure you are familiar with Leave No Trace camping principles as well.

As for other gear, make sure you bring warm boots…mountaineering-specific ones are not necessary for Marcy, but summer hiking boots could leave you with frostbite. Crampons would be nice to have if the summit is very icy, but since there are no steep portions and typically a lot of snow, you will probably be fine with the integrated crampons on your snowshoes. The same goes for an axe…probably not necessary here due to the pretty easy route to the summit (no real exposed portions or long slopes where a fall could be dangerous), but trekking poles would be very good to have for balance and to avoid fatigue. A 4-season tent would be good in case it snows a lot through the night, but a good three-season tent will work as well, as long as you are willing to meticulously remove accumulated snow throughout the night. For a sleeping bag, it depends on the night time temps while you are there. Could be in the 30s or could be well below zero, so you will need to look at the forecast and rent a warmer bag from The Mountaineer if necessary.

As for clothes, make sure you dress in layers so that you can control your body temp and don’t sweat. Getting wet in the backcountry during the winter is a good way to get yourself killed. Use synthetic or wool long underwear, with a pair of breathable water-resistant pants. Hard shell pants will work too if they are made of a highly breathable material and have side zips to vent heat. A couple light layers for your top will be good, but NO COTTON. Bring a lightweight or midweight insulated jacket and a windproof-waterproof shell for time spent above treeline or in case it rains (which it could!). Synthetic gloves and a hat are a must, of course.

REMEMBER: You are a long way from civilization up there….hours away at least. If you get hurt, lost, or hypothermia/frostbite, you will be in trouble.

http://www.highpeaksclimbing.com/ADKs.htm
http://www.summitpost.org/mount-marcy/150394
http://mountaineer.com/