View Full Version : winter hiking
Hamidmarzban
10-10-2014, 07:27
hi you all planning to hike a week in Jan. first or second week of it. starting from NC section. I have not done any winter hiking,but have done alot of hiking in late spring and summer . So i need help and advice on special gears i would need . i live in Fl. and would love to hike in snow!!! i will be hiking solo. thanks for any input
Almost year round, I plan to have a base layer, an insulating layer, and a shell. This is the same in the winter, but everything is thicker/warmer. Obviously a warmer sleeping bag too. The other consideration is footwear. I tend to lean more towards a gore-tex shoe/boot in the winter, where as I'm more willing to go without in the warmer months. A balaclava is a must have for me in the winter also.
booney_1
10-10-2014, 11:46
There is no telling what type of weather you might have. You might be hiking in a freezing rain. Hiking in snow is no picnic. In NC, if there is snow, it probably won't be deep. But it will cover up every stone and root . Oh yeah...the white blazes on the AT are hard to see, especially when they are on painted on rocks.
Check out the length of the day...the sun sets earlier this time of year. And especially in the mountains...the shadows can make it hard to see late afternoon.
I don't know what you are wearing on your feet, but unless you are hiking in pac boots, I'd look at getting gaiters to keep snow/water out of the top of your boots/shoes. They will also keep your lower pant legs dry.
The special gear you need are clothes that keep you dry and warm. In NC you won't be facing sub-zero temps, but more likely mid-20's and maybe very wet.
It's also windy on ridge lines.
If you are planning on staying in shelters (crowding not a problem!), you might want to bring a tarp to cover the front to block the wind (and snow!)
Winter has it's problems...but also it's rewards. It's quiet...not crowded. You will spend more time in camp..cause the days are shorter...so maybe a book?
Enjoy your hike...
warmer clothes and sleep system (bag & pad) are obvious necessities. But don't overlook how winter weather will affect your hydration system. Water filters and water kept in bladders/hoses or bottles will freeze up, so you have to adjust to that factor! Much shorter days that time of year too. I did a mid December section a few years ago from Dicks Creek Gap to Winding Stair Gap, and only met 2 other section hikers the entire time on the trail. Also met some hunters with rifles on the AT, who gave me a "Deliverance" feeling from the brief words we exchanged. Met some duffle bag hiker near top of Albert Mtn., who appeared to be in the middle of a bad acid trip, the dude was freaking out, talking to the trees, and running around the woods in 30* mid-day temps in his underwear. He had an old army duffle bag and bags of popcorn spread out in the trail. Interesting hike it was.
rocketsocks
10-10-2014, 17:17
Sunglasses help not only with the increased exposure due to lack of foliage, but go a long way to cutting ice cold winds that dry me right out.
rocketsocks
10-10-2014, 17:19
hi you all planning to hike a week in Jan. first or second week of it. starting from NC section. I have not done any winter hiking,but have done alot of hiking in late spring and summer . So i need help and advice on special gears i would need . i live in Fl. and would love to hike in snow!!! i will be hiking solo. thanks for any input
oh and because it's your very first post...you get one of these. :welcome to white blaze.
Feral Bill
10-10-2014, 17:29
Take a peak on Amazon for books on winter camping. There are several you might find good. It will be more efficient than going through numerous internet posts.
Slo-go'en
10-10-2014, 21:09
First, you need to be prepared to be cold AND wet. Any snow you encounter is likely to be heavy and wet. Real sloppy stuff. Your more likely to encounter ice, but in patches which makes it a pain to deal with.
Definately go with the Gortex boots and tall gaiters. That will go a long way towards keeping your feed reasonably dry. Then some kind of easy to use traction aid, such as micro spikes. The rest is just warm clothes and sleep system. Just remember it is a very good idea to have at least one extra day's worth of food with you in case you get stuck someplace or you can't make it all the way to the next camp and fall behind schedule.
freightliner
10-10-2014, 21:10
I usually get laid off in the winter and spend it hiking. It does make my La-Z-Boy lonely but it usually forgives me when I get home. The things that I've learned over the years is when you get to a shelter or camp you got to quickly put on all your clothes whatever you have that's warm. You have to keep whatever warmth that you have made while hiking because if you lose it it's very hard to get it back. Some people change clothes but I don't usually bring any extra clothing and I don't like having to put on a wet T-shirt in the morning. I do change my socks so that I have warm dry socks on and the day socks are usually put in the bottom of my sleeping bag so when I'm sleeping they will dry. I also carry two wool hats because the one you hike in will be very wet and it takes too long to dry so you'll want a dry one when you get the camp. Then you're going to want to go get water and have enough water so you don't have to go again later. I use a platypus water tank it holds all the water I need for cooking and cleaning and drinking. When that is done now is the time your going to want to make a hot drink and get your dinner started and while that's cooking its time to set up your tent and sleeping bag making sure it's fluffed up nicely. I always carry a small 16 ounce nalgene mini-grip bottle for my hot drink and you understand this when you grab it with your freezing cold hands. When you're all done eating and cleaned up go ahead and boil 2 cups of water to put in your bottle and put that in the bottom of your sleeping bag to start warming it up. That hot water bottle will be your best friend when you're hiking in the winter. Once you start getting your core temperature back up to normal you can start shedding some of the clothes that you're wearing. This isn't just what I do most everybody that hikes in the winter does this but you don't really want to learn it the hard way. One really good idea is to carry a packet of instant Jell-O mix that you add to boiling water. This thing will make you understand what a crack head feels. In about 15 minutes your heart will start racing helping you warm up. If you get to the point of no return this is one thing that'll help you come back. One time I was shaking so bad after hiking in freezing rain all day I could barely get the pouch of instant Jell-O open. Good luck and if you need to know more I would be happy to tell you
At this time of year in NC, make SURE you bring a warm bag.
At this time of year in NC, make SURE you bring a warm bag.
Warm means a conservative (honest-real world) rating of 20 degrees. Minimum. Coming from Florida, 10 degrees might be better. It takes a few days for your internal thermostat to make the switch from Florida to winter in the mountains.
Wool and down and a white gas stove are your best friends at altitude in January.
North Carolina covers a lot of high, exposed country. Where exactly will you be hiking. Don't count on rural mountain roads to be open quickly after a storm if you need resupply or just bail out.
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.
http://www.wintercampers.com/
I found a lot of good information here.
The Solemates
10-11-2014, 07:50
Warm means a conservative (honest-real world) rating of 20 degrees. Minimum. Coming from Florida, 10 degrees might be better. It takes a few days for your internal thermostat to make the switch from Florida to winter in the mountains.
Wool and down and a white gas stove are your best friends at altitude in January.
North Carolina covers a lot of high, exposed country. Where exactly will you be hiking. Don't count on rural mountain roads to be open quickly after a storm if you need resupply or just bail out.
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.
I've hiked all my life in the southern Apps of TN, NC, GA, and VA. No way would I have anything less than a 0 deg bag for an extended trip. Below 0 temps are not uncommon, esp when the windchill is factored in.
The Solemates
10-11-2014, 07:51
Warm means a conservative (honest-real world) rating of 20 degrees. Minimum. Coming from Florida, 10 degrees might be better. It takes a few days for your internal thermostat to make the switch from Florida to winter in the mountains.
Wool and down and a white gas stove are your best friends at altitude in January.
North Carolina covers a lot of high, exposed country. Where exactly will you be hiking. Don't count on rural mountain roads to be open quickly after a storm if you need resupply or just bail out.
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.
I've hiked all my life in the southern Apps of TN, NC, GA, and VA. No way would I have anything less than a 0 deg bag for an extended trip. Below 0 temps are not uncommon, esp when the windchill is factored in.
This is my winter gear list (http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=10152)
The full post is here on my blog (http://demeters-dish.blogspot.com/2014/04/winter-backpacking-gear-list-for-very.html)
You can get a ton of valuable info from WB and other forums. However, I can't stress how important it is to try your gear out overnight before going for a week. It doesn't take much to ruin a trip with untested gear. Everything is harder in cold weather, when you are tired and cold. Setting up camp, filtering water, even going to the bathroom!
Duramax22
10-11-2014, 15:37
Booties!!!! they are wonderful for camp which in the winter the night is much longer, zippo makes some kickass handwarmers, and grab yourself some katoohla microspikes
Duramax22
10-11-2014, 15:39
I've hiked all my life in the southern Apps of TN, NC, GA, and VA. No way would I have anything less than a 0 deg bag for an extended trip. Below 0 temps are not uncommon, esp when the windchill is factored in.
very true spent a sub-zero night on mt leconte last winter, although it stood no chance to my WM versalite
Booties!!!! they are wonderful for camp which in the winter the night is much longer, zippo makes some kickass handwarmers, and grab yourself some katoohla microspikes
+1 on booties. My Goosefeet Gear down booties help a great deal. I purchased them after having numb feet from the time I set up camp until an hour after getting back to my car the following morning. This was a short overnight trip in SNP in March 2013. I kind of went nuts after that experience and ordered the down booties 100% overfilled. But they only weigh 3 ounces and worth it to me.
freightliner
10-11-2014, 20:29
Every time I see those down booties I always think I should get a pair but I never do. I do love my down pants and a hike with them even in the summer because I like to be warm when I'm in camp. The hot water bottle usually warms up my feet but I'm liking the idea of down booties. One more thing I forgot to add to my last thought was that you need to bring a ass pad with you because if it snows you won't have any place to sit. I cut mine from that cheap blue Walmart sleeping pad. One sleeping pad will last you a lifetime. I wouldn't count on fire to keep you warm because usually in the winter all the sticks are frozen and hard to get going not impossible but hard.
I made a sit pad from a Wal mart blue pad. It was the best addition to my pack in some time. Very useful.
Hamidmarzban, you will need to learn several skills in a hurry, and taking them on all at once on a weeklong trip seems like a risky and potentially uncomfortable way to to do it. If you can do some overnight car camping, or day hikes in winter conditions, it will let you take on those skills in smaller, more digestible chunks.
Staying warm, dry and safe in cold, dry, windy weather? You will need a layering system and the discipline to use it properly. One snowless winter hike here in NY state I was cruising uphill, warm and comfortable, and stopped to grab a snack on a boulder in the warm sunlight. I put down my sit pad, sat, and started eating. Within minutes my hands were shaking, I was shivering, and had become very cold. In my haste to eat, I had forgotten to put on my warm hat and down jacket. Conversely, if you are hiking and carrying a load, you need to remove those warm layers fast, so as to avoid overheating, sweating into them, and compromising their warmth.
I am still a winter hiking novice, despite having camped overnight at 2 degrees (in a backyard, so I could bail out if anything went wrong), snowshoed and tented on deep snow (once), gone on a guided trip using crampons to hike on icy and rocky trails, and done a number of cold weather backpacking trips in dry conditions without snow or with less than an inch of snow.
Once I started on a winter overnight in snowy conditions, the weather was beautiful, I was postholing with my pac boots and enjoying the solitude and quiet. But three hours into my trip I noticed the sky looking purplish instead of blue, and turned around to bail out. I had forgotten my sunglasses and the glare off of the snow was giving me snowblindness. Any optometrist's office can double-check your sunglasses to make sure they block UV light effectively.
cheers,
Glogg
Traction devices. Microspikes at the very least. Crampons (Hillsounds) in some conditions. If the snow is deep, snowshoes. When day-hiking in the White Mtns in winter, we bring all three. Trail runners may not cut it for footwear.
squeezebox
10-12-2014, 17:37
I would think hiking with someone else would be important, generally keeping an eye on each other.
What do you think about a medical thermometer to check your self for hypothermia?
one other thing to consider in addition to all the good advice so far...when planning your trip, I find my mileage per day goes way down in winter (from 1/2 to 2/3 of my mpd day in the summer). Reasons...most obvious of course is the shorter days. Also, I tend to loiter more in my bag in the morning. When it's warm, I jump up shortly after dawn. I also use my stove in the morning for coffee or hot chocolate, oatmeal, etc. I only cook one meal in the warmer months.Then hiking conditions can slow you down as well.Have fun.
Tipi Walter
10-13-2014, 10:53
hi you all planning to hike a week in Jan. first or second week of it. starting from NC section. I have not done any winter hiking,but have done alot of hiking in late spring and summer . So i need help and advice on special gears i would need . i live in Fl. and would love to hike in snow!!! i will be hiking solo. thanks for any input
How cold is it in FL during December? Not very, I guess, but you could start sleeping outside every night in December on your backyard/porch or deck and get your pad and bag somewhat dialed in.
In NC you won't be facing sub-zero temps, but more likely mid-20's and maybe very wet.
It's also windy on ridge lines.
While probably true for a specific week in January, the mountains of NC do get below 0F temps as I was out last Jan and get sucked into the Polar Vortex with temps near -10F for several days.
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2014-Trips-152/24-Days-in-the-Cold/i-rCRhsJx/0/L/TRIP%20152%20115-L.jpg
Here's my camp during the Polar Rectum as I'm on the BMT at Brookshire Creek and the temps dropped hard and so I "made my stand" and spent 3 days here in the cold storm. It's important for a backpacker to find a place to "make his stand"---i.e. hunker in for cold, snow, blizzards, wind, deluge rain etc. Sit put for 3 or 4 days and live to hike on Day 5.
I've hiked all my life in the southern Apps of TN, NC, GA, and VA. No way would I have anything less than a 0 deg bag for an extended trip. Below 0 temps are not uncommon, esp when the windchill is factored in.
Totally agree. My wonderful WM Puma down bag is rated to -15F and it's part of my standard load for winter as a 0F bag just doesn't cut it.
Booties!!!! they are wonderful for camp which in the winter the night is much longer, zippo makes some kickass handwarmers, and grab yourself some katoohla microspikes
Yes, booties and down pants, even a beefy down parka are excellent items for winter Back Packaging. In fact, I'm presently eyeballing these items for my next Oct/Nov trip. Too early in the season for these heavier items? NOPE. But I will wait with the microspikes until late Dec/Jan/Feb when the real snows begin to fall.
http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2014-Trips-152/21-Days-in-the-Snow/i-DGbqZBk/0/L/TRIP%20153%20203-L.jpg
Here I am on Mill Branch trail in the Citico wilderness and wearing my Feathered Friends Icefall parka and my WM Flight down pants. These items will save your butt.
Duramax22
10-13-2014, 12:54
Another important thing for staying warm and dry is a good layering system. I never used to do it much until we started mountaineering and it became essential as the weather can get crazy much more so than lower elevation climbs. I use this: T-shirt- under armor sythetic, Baselayer- Smartwool nts midweight, Inuslating layer 1- Marmot Polar-tec fleece, Insulating layer2- Marmot quasar down jacket, Active layer- Marmot ROM softshell jacket with hood and windproof, Hardshell- Marmot precip, Active pants- Marmot scree pants, Insualting pants are WM Flight pants, Pant hardshell- Marmot Precip full length zips, shorts-Addidas Driclimate, Liner Glove-Marmot powerstretch, Active glove-Marmot Driclime, cold glove-Marmot expedition mitt, socks- Darn tough light,mid, and heavy, gaiters- OR Verglas , and a Buff from backcounty. The idea is you can mix and match any of these items to accomodate the weather and your aerobic activity. When you design your laying system you want to make sure you can if neccesary wear all your items at once in the proper order. Minus a few items this what you climb mt rainier with temps ranging from 75 to -10
Hamidmarzban
10-14-2014, 17:59
Thank you all for helpful notes ,lot of help. Where is most southern part I can start early Jan. to be in snow?
Duramax22
10-14-2014, 20:37
Thank you all for helpful notes ,lot of help. Where is most southern part I can start early Jan. to be in snow?
Smokies is a good bet for snow
Thank you all for helpful notes ,lot of help. Where is most southern part I can start early Jan. to be in snow?
Not from the south myself, but I suspect it has more to do with altitude than latitude.