Hiking safety in winter requires good clothing choices so you can stay warm. Layering, what kind of fabrics, and how to wear and use them all come into play. Here’s a discussion of strategies to keep you warm.
Winter Hiking
70 posts
Warm hands on a cold day make all the difference in the world. I review two different mittens from Outdoor Research.
Among the ten essentials for safe hiking is warm clothing. That’s just part of the equation. Here are some strategies for staying warm and dealing with the cold.
You need to be ready. Once in awhile, you actually get good winter weather in the Presidential range. When it happens, all is good.
Cannon is, at times, less than predictable. But it can still show you a good time.
Last of Winter! Mt Cabot. 4120 feet. 2019-03-20 (Wednesday.) Via the York Pond trail, Bunnell Notch trail, Kilkenny Ridge trail. Approx 10 miles. 35 dF at trailhead, 45 dF at the summit, 42 dF at the car. Sunny, with some clouds. Modest wind, approx 10-15 MPH. Trailhead: 1200. Summit: 1500. Car: 1715. (Start of Vernal Equinox: 1758.) 26 winter peaks completed. 22 left to go. It was a conservative plan. Nail […]
These are some more of the photos from Thursday’s trip. If you’re hiking tomorrow (Sunday) I hope these help guide your expectations for the day. Don’t be put off by the clouds. A trip to the mountains is a beautiful day, no matter the extent of the view from the summit. The longest views were had later in the afternoon — I’d have missed them had I stayed home. Walking […]
Bonds are Breathtaking! Bondcliff, Mt Bond, West Bond. Lincoln, NH. 2019-03-14. (Thursday) Via Lincoln Woods trail, Bondcliff trail, West Bond spur. Approx 22 miles. 30 dF +/- at the trailhead, 40’s at the summit, with 4-8 MPH winds very occasionally gusting to 20. 30 dF back at car. Clouds/overcast all day. Trailhead: 0745; Bondcliff summit: 1300; Mt Bond: 1400; West Bond: 1500. Back at car: 2000. (12.25 hours.) 22 miles […]
A year later, and not much has changed, but the route. Middle Carter Mountain, Bean’s Purchase, NH. 2019-03-09. (Tuesday) Via Imp Trail, North Carter Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail. Approximately 10.5 miles. 31 dF +/- at the trailhead, 20 at the summit. 28 back at the car. Limitless blue skies with not a cloud in sight. Winds were approximately 25-35 at the higher altitudes, attenuated significantly where there were trees. RH between […]
Owl’s Head Mountain, Lincoln, NH. 2019-02-28. (Thursday) Via Lincoln Woods Trail, Black Pond Bushwhack, Lincoln Brook Trail, Brutus Bushwhack. Approx 16 miles. 10 dF +/- at the trailhead, 20 dF at summit, 12 dF +/- back at the car, with modest winds. Unbridled sunshine throughout the day. Trailhead: 0915; Summit; 1425; back at car: 1800. (8.75 hours.) February Surprise! Last night, I was looking, somewhat off-handedly, at New England Trail […]
So it’s been a year… South Carter Mountain, Bean’s Purchase, NH. 2019-02-21. (Thursday) Via 19 Mile Brook Trail, Carter Dome Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail 28 dF +/- at the trailhead, 22.4 dF at the summit. 33.5 dF back at the car. Mainly cloudy, with a brief period of occasional breaks in the clouds. Very windy — above the trees, 50+ MPH per MW OBS; wind penetrated tree cover to the trail […]
Carter Dome, Gorham, NH. 2019-02-16. (Saturday) Via 19 Mile Brook trail, Carter Dome trail. 25 dF +/- and partly cloudy. Wind at summit was 10-25 knots. Even in the trees, winds approached 5-8 knots at times. Trailhead: 1000; Carter Dome summit: 1400; back at car: 1730. This was a weird one. I don’t know whether there was a thing going on, but I noticed all week long, whenever I went […]