I wish I enjoyed winter backpacking
Always feel like a caged animal til spring.
I feel that way in the summer, when it's 105F outside. Much prefer winter hiking.
Head to New Zealand, its late spring down there.
I do less hiking miles, and more camping hours in the winter. Especially with the deep white stuff. Miles are long and hard with no visible trail and 3 feet of snow, plus the bent over spruces to deal with. And then there is sunset at 4:40 pm. Makes even a 5 mile day sometimes almost impossible. I once took 3 hours to traverse 0.7 miles!!! It was step, step, expletive, gasp, exhale... Repeat for three hours.
They make these things called snowshoes…Originally Posted by russb
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Do you want to learn to appreciate winter backpacking?
A good way to start is to do day hikes (snowshoeing, if you're lucky) and get familiar with clothing and techniques for dealing with cold, keeping in mind the old maxim "There is no such thing as weather that's too cold, only inappropriate clothing." Winter can be a lot of fun with the right clothing, gear and attitude. Go with meet-up groups if you must.
Plenty of info here and other resources on the interwebs to get started.
I much prefer hiking in winter then camping in winter, which is why all my winter hikes these days are day hikes. Thankfully, that is something I can do without going far, or even having to get in my car
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no interest in backpacking in winter. ill still day hike, but the 4:40 sunset just makes the nights too long and boring. im in DC so luckily even in january/february we can still have 50 degree days for day hiking.
I personally love winter "backpacking" as snowshoeing, backpacking or skiing - depending on snow-pack, and terrain.
Key's to loving winter backpacking, in my mind at least:
1) Don't over dress, but always carry very warm gear. Hike or ski cool, often with little more than pants and a t-shirt, or long underwear, pants, t-shirt, fleece, and windshirt. If you're not cool starting off, you'll overhead, feel like crap, and get cold when you stop.
2) Always have excessively warm gloves and and coat with hood, so that when you stop, you can immediately put on warm gear and stay very comfortable.
3) Carry a closed cell foam pad in an easily accessible location so you can stop any time, sit down, and relax, lean back against a tree or whatever to snack and hang loose.
4) Skis rock for a good time whenever the terrain allows for some fun "shushing"!! Of course, there is a learning curve.
5) Making camp in snow is also often extra fun because you get sculpt your camp, making chairs, tables, walls, etc out of snow.
Again, I think the key to success is being careful not to over-dress, to stay cool when moving and working (so you don't sweat and over heat and feel like crap before getting cold when you stop), and then staying warm when you're resting with a good coat, good gloves, and good footwear.
I'm not lost. I'm exploring.
Me, too. I'm fine outdoors in winter as long as I keep moving, so that means day hiking, a little snowshoeing when possible, splitting wood, shoveling, and in late winter, pruning. Winter hiking is nice because you can really see the contours of the land, there are unobstructed views, and the light is very different. I usually aim for midday activities, when the sun is strongest.I much prefer hiking in winter then camping in winter, which is why all my winter hikes these days are day hikes.
Another reason to go to NZ or Australia is long days during our winter. One year I hope to check out Patagonia too. I'm sure you could find a trail to your liking in Florida Texas etc if you tried.
Oh, but winter camping under a tarp so you can watch the light and snow and feel the breeze and wake up with a bit of spin-drift covering your self and your gear is so delightful. If you go home at night, you are missing 1/2 of beauty and joy of winter.
I'm not lost. I'm exploring.
I can handle a couple winter backpacking trips a year. Some of them have been fantastic, some a major slog
But you can still get out there and day hike a lot. Base camp it somewhere, or do something else at night. Make use of a good headlamp and hike in the evening
Snowshoeing in RMNP is a special treat. I enjoy it for daytime use.
If I'm not on a ski tour, I'm not that excited about spending 14 hours in the dark at 0 or below as a recreational event. YMMV.
I love winter hiking, with crampons, on packed snow and ice covered trails. If I'm lucky, I'll get to use both snowshoes and crampons on the same day hike.
If I froze to death (very likely, since I have experienced hypothermia with temps in the 50s), I would miss ALL of the beauty and joy of winter. I know my limits and prefer to live within them in most circumstances.Oh, but winter camping under a tarp so you can watch the light and snow and feel the breeze and wake up with a bit of spin-drift covering your self and your gear is so delightful. If you go home at night, you are missing 1/2 of beauty and joy of winter.
No effort walking in deep snow with those.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
There are definitely some tricks to winter camping, but there's better gear now than ever. I did a lot of it in the 1970's in Montana and then in the 1980's in Colorado. We would never hesitate to head out on winter trails to camp for several days, sometimes in extreme low temps and heavy snow. The coldest I've ever hiked was in the Adirondacks at -20. My water bottles froze solid next to my body in the bag.
While you are moving there's usually no problem staying warm, but be ready to throw on clothes when you stop if you are wet from sweat. You need to stay one step ahead of getting cold; don't wait until you are cold or it is hard to warm up again.
The nights can be so long that you need good sleep gear, dry sleeping clothes (merino wool/down booties is a good choice), and a big tent with a vestibule helps for cooking and storage. Bring something to do for 15 hours like a good book or two, and lots of tea bags.
The colder it is, actually the easier it is, because you don't have to worry about wet/cold, which is the hardest weather to dress for (ask a Scotsman). For dry cold you can use lots of goose down clothing without any worry about getting all wet and ruining your insulation.
It's definitely NOT a time to try to go ultralight because getting chilled or wet and having insufficient clothing or food is dangerous.
But I've done this on the AT too, and enjoyed it very much. It is one time when I use shelters happily although I have also tented in the snow in Shenandoah and Vermont. If you are only talking about hiking in the 20's and 30's, it can be quite pleasant. Below zero is Graduate level, however.
Winter hiking can be good fun, you just have to deal with the short daylight hours. Winter camping is another matter, not really my thing. Funny thing is, my winter hiking day pack weighs nearly as much as my summer backpacking kit complete with three days food.
Im looking forward to some ski backpacking trips this winter. Only thing missing is a pulk, but thats on my radar.
I've experienced hypothermia with temps in the 80's, but then, I was SCUBA diving in water well below the surface air temperature. ;-)
Total support for living within your limits in most circumstances. Pure and simple wisdom.
But then, it makes me sad to think that someone, that might really enjoy an experience, that has had some bad experiences from a lack of appropriate gear and skills, then thinks the experience is not fun or beyond them because they haven't tried the same thing with appropriate gear and more education.
It's kinda like not quitting a thru-hike on a bad day.
If a person just doesn't want to put the effort into getting the right gear and skills to enjoy winter overnights, then that's their choice. If a person has experienced a safe and warm night at 10F, and just doesn't like the fiddle factor, then that's their choice. BUT, if a person doesn't do winter overnights because they are scared of getting cold, and believe they can't manage the conditions, then I feel like they are being cheated out of some potentially great experiences.
I'm not lost. I'm exploring.
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