Hiking in the winter?

Cappy

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Well summer camping for extreme southerners like some of us, is the bad season, just like winter camping is for you way up northerners. For both of us ya gotta really love camping to wanna do it in your bad season be it frigid winter or roasting steamy heat.:Yo:
 

Grandpa

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We had our younger scouts in the High Uintas wilderness last week. July 7-12. They had a great time having snowball fights to cool down. A few were hardy enough to swim in the high alpine lakes. We had to revise our route to due a snow cornice on the lip of a pass. Too dangerous for the youth to cross even though we had provisions to belay them if this happened. Our older boys were on another high adventure in the White Clouds in central Idaho. They also were in and out of snow. They watched another group with a stupid leader take a group across a "beaver slide", (a steep chute of ice/snow that emptied directly into a half frozen lake.) Even in July and August, we are "winter camping".

Our winter activities with the boys do involve skiis, snowboards and snowshoes, but usually only one overnighter for survival training purposes.
 

bsmit212

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I do still do some hiking in the winter. Not as much as during the summer. I think if I were in an area that got a little more snow during the winter I would hike some more. However, here in GA the winters more offten end up in the mid to high 30's and rain which is no fun to hike in. But when there is a nice cool and clear day during winter are some of the best times to go hiking.
 

Simplify

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When I lived in New England I would backpack in the New Hampshire White Mountains all the time in winter.

It was great. At night you had the whole mountain to yourself and there was an incredible calm and stillness in the air.

Now, living in Arizona, the winter is my prime backpacking time.
 

ppine

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This discussion reminds me of packing elk hunters in Colorado at 10,900 feet in late October. It was below zero at night, with snow everyday. The trip was 10 days and the riding stock looked pretty puny coming out. After the grain was gone, they had trouble maintaining their weight and pawing through the snow. The mules did a lot better. I will never forget rolling out of that warm sleeping bag in the dark at 0500 to catch and saddle horses for out intrepid nimrods. We had wall tents with wood stoves and that made all the difference. The trip out lasted until 0100 the next morning. That meant 8 hours in the dark during a snowstorm. The horses knew the way.
 

vinovampire

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I enjoy hiking year-round, but I definitely prefer winter hiking. Winter seems like the most magical, peaceful, quiet time of year to hike. No mud, no crowds, no rain or thunderstorms... I'll take it! And I love having a good reason to carry a thermos full of delicious hot cocoa.


Mt Mansfield, Vermont, USA
 

dinosaur

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Winter hiking is a lot of fun. I like vinovampire's explanation for it. Camping in the Winter is another story. You'd best be prepared with the proper gear. And you'll burn a lot of calories so take lots of food and don't be afraid of saturated fats. I once hiked and camped for a week in Northern Wisconsin in December when the daily highs were around 2 and the lows at night were around -10. I ate five meals a day of very rich food and when I got back found out I had lost three pounds.
 

Grandpa

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Our scout troops long term calendar includes a February fishing trip, camping out, in SE Idaho, at 5500 feet. (Near Soda Springs for those in the know of Idaho Geography) They faired well last night in solo survival shelters they each built for themselves. Temps were about 12 degrees, but the snow line was above us.
 

carmen

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That is a beautiful photo vinovampire! I wish we could get that much snow here, the snow I don't mind at all but the ice is what gets me. I have yet to manage hiking in the mix without slipping at least once. :)
 

vinovampire

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@carmen Glad you enjoyed the picture! Every time I see that picture it gets me excited to go winter hiking again with friends. You can't really tell in that picture, but all of us in the group that day were carrying or wearing Kahtoola MicroSpikes to deal with the ice. I started used them several years ago and would never go back to hiking in that type of condition without them. I get worried when I see people slipping and sliding down an icy section of trail.

Although we do generally get a lot of snow, icy conditions on the trail are always possible. This is a section of trail that I hike quite a bit during the winter. Without traction aids like MicroSpikes and trekking poles, this type of ground would be just too treacherous, in my opinion. During the winter I usually end up carrying some mix of snowshoes, microspikes, and 12-point crampons, depending on the trail and conditions.

 

Blazer

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The only time I don't enjoy hiking is during the summer. Too many bugs, too sweaty, and I get sunburn no matter what I do. Autumn is perfect, winter is a close second, and early spring comes in third. I agree that anything above 70 degrees is uncomfortable on a hike!
This is how I feel too..it's the heat that I won't hike in. I HATE humidity with a passion. Cool and dry is how I like it. Once it hits 75 and above I head for my kayak. The cooler the better..all you gotta do is throw on a sweater! :Thumb:

When the snow hits I tend to hit the slopes. I love to go downhill skiing. Unfortunately around here we don't get ENOUGH snow for my liking. But when it does snow I pull out the snowshoes and hit the trails. Snow makes everything more beautiful. I like to go hiking when it's actually snowing. It's awesome!

After the leaves fall off the trees I don't find things very scenic and snow changes all that. Last year I was snowshoeing and saw a bunch of people cross country skiing on the trails. A lot of places have dedicated trails for just X country skiing and you can rent skis and I want to try that this year. I'm hoping for another snowy winter! The more I can get out in the winter, the better I feel.

I've done cold weather camping..camped down into the 20s and 30s. Now that I'm backpacking I want to do this in the winter. Fortunately I have good cold weather gear now so I'm going to give it a try.

My plan is to locate out west in 2016 and cold/snow is a possibility in higher elevations even in mid summer. It's something I look forward to.
 

Blazer

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Here in NJ the need for snowshoes is rare.
Yes, I know..I had my snowshoes for 2 winters before I needed to use them. FINALLY last winter I did! I hate winter on the Jersey Shore. It's not really winter. Fortunately winter weather is just a few hours north.
 
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