My son and I just did a quick overnight (Nov. 14th) along the Chattooga River. A little cold Sunday morning but it made the oatmeal welcome and the hike out comfortable.
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Mags threw down the Utah gauntlet.... IF you're not rappelling down the final move of Neon Canyon in November, you really should be:
[QUOTE=Tipi Walter;2020692]Lyle's post reminds me of a trip in November 2013 during Thanksgiving weekend when a butt cold 2 day rain was followed by snow and temps down to 12F. I was on the Little Santeetlah trail in the Slickrock wilderness in NC and suffered in an early season cold snap. It was freakish and might've been the same storm system which hit Lyle.
No, not the same storm. Mine was way back in 1987. Storm struck Washington, DC as well. Clean-up there was terrible because folks just abandoned their vehicles on the streets and bridges when they couldn't move. Quite a mess.
Here's an article about what hit DC:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/cap...y_in_1987.html
Was even worse in the mountains as you would expect.
Actually, it is Colorado.Originally Posted by colorado_rob
Paul "Mags" Magnanti
http://pmags.com
Twitter: @pmagsco
Facebook: pmagsblog
The true harvest of my life is intangible...a little stardust caught,a portion of the rainbow I have clutched -Thoreau
If it's colder than you'd like- just borrow a coat
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Wear a warm hat and put a hot bottle in yer crotch... but not too hot
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It gets dark early, so settle in and have a hot cocoa and in no time you'll be a happy bastard.
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Dinosaur NM? Pretty area in any case.Actually, it is Colorado.
I hike year round. I don't just go out for the nice sun basking between the trees. A night out in the cold and wet rainy woods can be a blast! In fact, just last night I went to a small mountain in NH where it poured all night but I had myself a great time with a clean shelter all to myself.
wow you are still here?
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
Looking forward to FHT last week of Dec....
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Winter is for day hiking. I did some winter backpacking trips when I was younger, but found that short daylight hours, freezing temps, snowy/icy trails, and heavy packs all make backpacking less enjoyable. I'd rather enjoy a hot shower, hot meal, cozy lighting, and a warm bed than sit out in the cold and darkness for 14 hours and then wake up to put on frozen boots.
It's all good in the woods.
BLASPHEMER!!!!!!!
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Winter is for backpacking.
Last edited by Tipi Walter; 11-23-2015 at 09:38.
Let's compromise and say winter is for short, relaxing backpacking trips with friends. 3 day packs, some 'anti-freeze', and a campfire in the snow
________________________
Mike
Eastover, SC
Miles completed on the AT: 0 (Starting 5/24/2018)
Why hike in November?
No bugs...or not very many.
Snappy temperatures that make it fun to move briskly.
No crowds.
Thin skim of snow that is easy to move over. (Micro-Spikes excel here.)
Fantastical ice formations as the waterfalls start to freeze for the winter and there are icicles at every seep.
If not NOW, then WHEN?
ME>GA 2006
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=3277
Instagram hiking photos: five.leafed.clover
When I think winter hiking, it's mainly New England I'm thinking of. November is still on the cusp of winter, there may or may not be snow on the ground. On the AT near Glencliff a couple weeks ago, still had some nice foliage, no snow, high of 50F or so. Deep freshly fallen leaves and leaf-slick trail were the worst of our worries. Years ago I was at Hermit Lake shelter at Tuckermans Ravine, Thanksgiving night, plenty of snow and -10F overnight.
Most of winter the mountains are under deep snow. Turns out you can camp almost anywhere, and legally. For me, winter hikes are simple out-and-back or easy loops. I've done the Franconia loop a few times in March/April/May, in packed snow. Great scenery all along the route, up, across, and back down.
Last May I was breaking trail on Kinsman in May and it was nearly impassible. It was fine weather but the snow was deep and rotten, postholing every third step. Ugh.
Tipi can have the winter camping scene, I think I'm over that.
Hiking is great in any season, it offers a whole new element to hike in the late fall and into winter, heck I'll even do day hikes in the snow, its amazing to hike some of the same locations you hike in warmer months and see the change its like being in a brand new place.
I keep thinking I want to go up and do an overnight right now. I've got what I think is a decent system for a 30F night. But I'm finding that the thirties feel bloody cold to me! I'm in the South and we have a fairly humid cold, so I tell myself. But honestly, I don't think I can sleep at 30F outside. Am I just being a wuss?
You won't know till you try. Winter is obviously more challenging than summer, in all sorts of ways. There's much less room for error. I think maybe it's a young person's pastime, but I'm sure a few gnarly old seniors will disagree. You need gear, but more importantly, skills, common sense, caution, etc. I don't hike alone in winter.
But then you are only accepting one half of Miss Nature's beauty. Why sleep with her 5 or 6 months out of the year and miss the other 6 months? She expects more.
Tipi can have the winter camping scene, I think I'm over that.
And why can't I post full size pics on this thread anymore????
Oh okay, it works again!!!
Not "obviously" at all, in fact I disagree... winter is in many ways LESS challenging and kinder, gentler. for example, less chance of getting wet and hypothermic (this is true, despite what those who never do this think). Much less, essentially zero chance of getting struck by lightning. Zero bugs. Fewer crowds. easier on us old-fart's knees when descending (nice soft plunge steps in soft snow!). Much less UV to fry you.
What is more challenging is the lack of daylight and avalanche risk, and sometimes navigation (though using a GPS mitigates this greatly). It also take more energy to travel (level and uphill) on soft snow (though it is sometimes, in fact most times easier to climb on hard snow than bare dirt). These are really the only things that I think are more challenging.
Just got back from a fantastic winter-conditions climb yesterday, heading out for a backpack this coming weekend to our favorite deep-winter spot, the Top of Colorado (Mt. Elbert, 14,431') see pic from last year's annual backpack/climb).
Nice sleeping bag Tipi... looks like a Western Mountaineering Puma perhaps? (I own and use one in the deepest winter backpack trips).
We don't get much in the way of snow here so the risk of slippery conditions is near zero unless it rains. Ice is more prevalent in N. GA than snow. I'm not concerned with the hiking or even preparing. It's getting little sleep because I'm just cold. Even if I can bed down and keep warm you gotta get up in the morning and get moving. Something I have a hard time doing when chilled!
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