I miss summer

[kmac]

winter hiking

Every season offers something different, my favorite times to hike are in the fall and winter. I love seeing the snow covered trees against the blue skies and the shadows they make on the snow....
As for clothing, I too start off with just a couple merino wool layers on top and softshell pants with a layer of long underwear. I wear a light wt. pair of gloves, headband and heavy wool socks with liners. As I get higher in elevations and the temps get colder I will add layers. The idea of having a dry top in your bag to change into when you reach your destination is a good idea, I've done that many a time, it really helps.
Breaks are shorter during winter months and longer breaks require a layer to keep warm( down jacket or soft shell) while standing around. Also, a thermos of hot beverage or soup is always a good way to warm up during breaks, and eating/drinking frequently to fuel your body, very important in keeping your body warm. Remember a big % of your heat is lost through your head so wearing a warm hat will help keep you warm.
Being prepared with enough clothing and gear for the most extreme conditions is a must, when your hiking in the winter.
Remember like anything, Practice make perfect, the more you do it the better you will get at it Whether your a newbie or seasoned hiker there's always something to be learned : )
Check out this article that I found on the net, it tells you all the different ways body heat is lost.
kmac

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/00184.html

 

[catskillclimber]

Also, a thermos of hot beverage or soup is always a good way to warm up during breaks, and eating/drinking frequently to fuel your body, very important in keeping your body warm.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/00184.html

This is very helpful. I too like to find a place away from the wind, either below tree line or tucked in some evergreens, to have some hot soup or tea before summiting to raise my core body temperature. I often hike with my wicking layer and outer layer, then as I get up higher and the temperature drops I pause to throw on a fleece in between which I usually take back off about 1/3 of the way down so I don't start sweating too much. You'll get used to the winter hiking and love it I'm sure.

 

[Frodo]

I also love ALL the seasons because each one offers different conditions/experiences on the trail, but I live for winter...

Nothing like being above treeline with cobalt blue skies, pristine snow, and 100+ mile visibility (better than any drug ever invented).

On the down side to winter, there is not much worse than hiking in January while it is 40 degrees and raining, trudging thru mashed potato like snow (good thing the cobalt blue sky scenario is much more common!)

 

[blacknblue]

My cold limit will vary based on how attractive the hike itself is, how long I plan to be out, and how well I prepared. My brother and I climbed all but 100 feet of Lafayette once with it minus-15 and blowing 30-35 MPH. It really wasn't terribly uncomfortable b/c we were clothed appropriately. I was out in wind chills of minus-100 once and that was fun for about, oh... 15 minutes.
I generally don't consider a cold limit unless I'm going to be out overnight.

 

[ROCKYSUMMIT]

Wow, somewhat surprised to hear so many people miss the humidity, haze, and bugs! I do love hiking in all seasons, but winter and fall are probably my favs. You can't beat the crisp, super clear skies that winter brings. Looking back at summer hiking photos brings a nice, almost lazy feeling, but looking at the beauty of winter photos(especially during summer) really gets the blood going. If we could only get those long days in winter!

 

[Lawn Sale]

Fall is my favorite, but I enjoy winter as well. I love the clear skies, and hiking while it's snowing is simply elegant. I used to not look forward to the winter as my clothing wasn't up to par and I knew it, but now that it's almost complete (is it ever fully complete?), I enjoy it a lot more.

I just wish my winter tent didn't weigh 10+ pounds.

Still, there is so much to do in the winter, to not get out and enjoy it would be disappointing.

 

[forestgnome]

I do miss summer. Borealchickadee describes it nicely: "sun, warm granite, green leaves". Blackflies are the only bugs that bother me. From mid-June on, no problems.

I still enjoy a clear, windless winter day in the forest tracking critters. Gently falling snow is beautiful deep in a stand of Hemlocks.

 

[amstony]

I miss summer too. Not just the warmth and bugs but also the longer hours of daylight. (I'm afraid of the dark)and to all you winter hikers: fine, you enjoy what you do. but the rest of us can still miss the summer if we want to. MYOS (miss your own season)

I don't mind the heat at all, plus I love the loooooooong days and lighter packs! I have never had an issue with the bugs.........

 

[Tuco]

Winter hiking requires more planning and thinking (what to wear, what to carry, what food won't freeze, etc). More decisions are likely to be made (crampons, snowshoes, bareboot? etc) . Hikes must be chosen more carefully. More concern for the weather

With all this thinking in the winter I think summer hiking definintely plays into Tuco's strength.

Although having fun starting winter hiking

 

[Umsaskis]

I like every season and every kind of weather. It's the variety that makes it all so grand.

For winter, I put everything in my pack according to the order I'll probably need to get it out, and put on long johns and shell pants, and either a fleece or not with my shell jacket, for the drive. That is what I usually hike in until I stop or start going downhill. I just keep the car cool enough to be comfortable. Keep the gloves and hat out, and don them as I get started. That way the only prep is putting on the snowshoes or crampons. I've figured out how to put the crampons on in the car (passenger side), and how to take off the snowshoes in the car if they're too frozen to get off in the cold temps outside.

 

[Tom Rankin]

I've figured out how ... to take off the snowshoes in the car if they're too frozen to get off in the cold temps outside.

Thankfully, with MSRs, this is not an issue. The rubber bindings work over a large temperature range, at least down to -20. I was skeptical at first, but they have never failed me.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

While I enjoy winter, and do get out from time to time (heck I hiked sat at the gathering, while most did something else), I really prefer summer. In the winter, I feel more clumsey.... heavy pack, snowshoes... I can't 'dance' on the trail the way I can in the summer.

There is someething, though, about being alone on a bare peak, on a cold clear winter day..

 

[KayakDan]

If you plan it right,all 4 seasons are terrific. Mrs KD and I have a standing joke about fixing stuff around the house during"the off season".We don't have one.
May to October is sea kayaking season,more or less,depending on weather. If the wind is blowing,we sail,if not we kayak. November starts hiking and camping season,with some XC skiing thrown in,with or without the winter camping. Winter stuff ends just about the end of April,just in time for kayaking and sailing season
So...I'll fix it in the "off season"-or pray for a rainy day in November!

 

[^MtnMike^]

I love how "alive" everything is in the summer. The vibrant colors, the forest noises, etc. The quite of winter is peaceful, and the snow covered terrain is beautiful, but sometimes it's depressing too .
I also love rocky trails that allow for scrambling and exploring. This isn't really possible to do in the winter with the short days and dangerous conditions in many ledgy areas (at least not with my limited skills and low risk tolerance ).

And summers here are so short compared to winters, I tend to get sick of winter before it's over.

So, yeah, I miss summer too!
^MtnMike^

 

[sleeping bear]

I just wish we had some SNOW around here .........

......... I want to go skiing..........

............... and I really like snow ......... where's the snow?

 

[Raymond]

I haven't done very much winter hiking, but with some of the cold nights we've had lately I've been casting my mind back to how I used to regularly ride my bicycle 15 miles in temperatures zero or below (from 4-5 a.m., too) to the weekend job I had for seven plus years, ending in August 1997.

It always felt colder somehow when it was one or two degrees above zero than it did when it was below.

 

[alpinista]

I like winter hiking -- I just wish winter were shorter! Yeah, it's nice for the beauty, the lack of bugs, etc., but I friggin' hate the cold, trying to stay warm constantly, the risk of hypothermia -- all those factors that make me wary of hiking solo this time of year.

I'll swat away bugs any day for longer daylight and warmer temps.

 

[Neil]

I just took a look outside at all the rain falling in Montreal, then I read the forecast for the Dacks. You know what I miss?
Winter.

 

[ROCKYSUMMIT]

As Steimy in the Little Rascals used to say "You said a mouthful!"

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I just wish we had some SNOW around here

I guess winter must be kind of sucky with no snow. Roller skiing on pavement sucks when you fall, because cold skin seems to rip easier when it hits the ground.

I say that as our 2 feet of snow around here is getting covered with a nice sheet of frozen rain, looking beautiful, but It's going to make for an ugly bike ride this morning.