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MDSection12
02-05-2013, 13:01
I went out for a hike this past weekend and found that my mileage didn't stack up at all. This was my first true hiking trip in the cold, previously I've done more relaxed 'base camp' style trips when it's cold. Temps were in the mid-twenties most of the weekend, and dropped down in the mid-teens Saturday night. We had planned on doing 20 miles in two days, but ended up doing ~3.5 per day instead. This was partially due to motivation I will admit; the snow started mid-day Saturday and we just made the decision to call it a day in order to make sure we got a fire going before dark. We could have gone further... But we were still just not making the time I expected.

So my question is do you find a quantifiable depriciation in miles when the temps get low? I usually use 2.5 mph as my rule of thumb, and it is almost always accurate for me over roughly 4 hour periods. This past weekend I was doing less than half of that. So am I out of shape after eating too much and taking too much time off this winter, or is this a common effect and I can expect mileage to pick up as usual once the temps climb?

Lyle
02-05-2013, 13:18
Higher mileage is doable, but tougher in winter due to the much shorter days. Otherwise, I find it is conducive to shorter breaks, so less lolly-gagging. It is tough to get up and out by 7:30 during the winter though.

Ender
02-05-2013, 13:26
It's typically a wash for me... I hike a lot faster to keep warm, but it also takes me longer to get out of my sleeping bag in the morning. So I lose miles in the morning, but make them back up during the day. Works out about equal for me.

yellowsirocco
02-05-2013, 13:33
Temp only affects me by way of pack weight. Heat does cut down on my total miles though.

88BlueGT
02-05-2013, 13:35
It's typically a wash for me... I hike a lot faster to keep warm, but it also takes me longer to get out of my sleeping bag in the morning. So I lose miles in the morning, but make them back up during the day. Works out about equal for me.

^^ Same for me.

Another thing to remember is that you lose a lot of daylight during the winter months. Take that into account too.

MDSection12
02-05-2013, 13:36
Lyle and Ender - Both of you are talking about the effects on time... I'm talking about the effects on actual hiking. I know the body needs more calories in colder weather, because a certain amount of energy is spent keeping your core temp up, so it would stand to reason that hiking in cold temps is physically more strenuous. I was just curious as this seemed to be the case this weekend.

Rasty
02-05-2013, 13:37
On my last hike I found that fiddling with layers slowed me down. Getting cold going down hill and hot going uphill. Taking gloves off and on, stripping mid layer off, etc.

MDSection12
02-05-2013, 13:38
On my last hike I found that fiddling with layers slowed me down. Getting cold going down hill and hot going uphill. Taking gloves off and on, stripping mid layer off, etc.

That's definitely true, I did notice that. I'm just really curious if there is an actual physical component that makes hiking in cold weather more difficult than hiking in mild weather.

88BlueGT
02-05-2013, 13:42
That's definitely true, I did notice that. I'm just really curious if there is an actual physical component that makes hiking in cold weather more difficult than hiking in mild weather.

Well I'm sure it takes longer for your body to warm up possibly in resulting in a slower/longer start.

Malto
02-05-2013, 13:43
The only temperature extreme that will impact my hiking speed is extreme heat and humidity. But even that will not have a major impact since much of my hiking is done in the early morning or late evening. Cold actually will help overall average since I usually consume less water. The exception to this is when there is really icy or snowy conditions.

fredmugs
02-05-2013, 13:45
Pace wise I'm slower. Or at least I feel slower.

MDSection12
02-05-2013, 13:58
Pace wise I'm slower. Or at least I feel slower.
Ya that was me. I have been slacking on my normal workouts (hiking and mountain biking) lately so it could just be that, but I wondered if it wasn't actually partially due to the cold as well. From responses here it seems like there probably isn't a steadfast rule that colder means slower hiking... Interesting. :-?

Drybones
02-05-2013, 14:05
It's typically a wash for me... I hike a lot faster to keep warm, but it also takes me longer to get out of my sleeping bag in the morning. So I lose miles in the morning, but make them back up during the day. Works out about equal for me.

Pretty much the same here. If it's a week end hike I do tend to sleep in longer when it's cold, if it's a long hike I just bite the bullet and get up and go. I can cover the miles much better in the cold, heat slows me down much more.

Pedaling Fool
02-05-2013, 14:09
I think you'll just got lazy.

Feral Bill
02-05-2013, 14:25
Cold air is denser, more air resistance.

Rasty
02-05-2013, 14:27
Cold air is denser, more air resistance.

I may be a little dense but I find that I resist getting out of bed when it is cold! Is that what you are speaking of?

FarmerChef
02-05-2013, 14:28
I find no distance effect from cold weather. Once warmed up the body doesn't really care about the ambient temperature except as a function of releasing or conserving heat. In the winter, I often hike with no shirt on because I tend to get very hot and sweat when I'm warmed up. In the summer, I have fewer layers. Once the temps and humidity get high, then I have to slow down. But the colder the better.

leaftye
02-05-2013, 14:31
Cooler weather causes me to sweat less and I am motivated to take shorter breaks, which should increase my pace.

Winter also means carrying more gear, which should decrease my pace.

Days are shorter in the winter by a few hours, so that's a big limiter on daily mileage.

Wet, snowy or icy ground surfaces slow down my pace because I'm more cautious with my footing.

In any case, I would have to be very disciplined and in good shape to do 20's, but it's been done. It might be easier if I had my trail legs already instead of just very good off season legs.

SCRUB HIKER
02-05-2013, 15:13
On my last winter snowshoeing trip I know in retrospect that I didn't eat enough, because it was cold enough that no one wanted to stop very long for breaks. We tried to nibble on snacks constantly but it definitely wasn't enough to replenish the spent calories. I felt unusually exhausted and cold by the end of the day, and I only warmed up after eating hot dinner. Could that have been what happened to you?

Feral Bill
02-05-2013, 15:17
I may be a little dense but I find that I resist getting out of bed when it is cold! Is that what you are speaking of?
Another factor, for certain.