4 Spiked Up Tips to Start Your Winter Hiking
Gear is crucial for those bitterly cold, outdoor adventures. As a gal from Texas, I was clueless about gear. I set out for my first winter hike a few winters ago with hiking boots and what I considered to be a thick jacket. Thankfully, my New Hampshire-native friend Kim came prepared.
We were heading to Camel’s Hump one weekend up in Vermont and spent the night before in downtown Burlington. As much as I love the mountains, I love quaint New England towns almost just as much. Kim encouraged me to buy microspikes, which I thought would be a frivolous purchase. I kept the receipt and the box they came in because surely I would not need them in November. In Vermont. In winter. Shockingly, I was wrong.
Camel’s Hump is easily recognizable from afar. It’s aptly named. As the third highest peak in the state at 4,083 feet, with a 2,500 foot climb, it wouldn’t be an easy trek in winter. Kim and I made our way slowly and as luck would have it (of course, not actual luck but Kim’s incredible expertise), a mile or so in, spikes were necessary.
I wobbled my hiking shoes into my new microspikes and I sure was glad I did. Not only was I uneducated about spikes, but about winter wear in general. Kim had an extra scarf and I found my ear warmers in my car. I looked like a marshmallow all bundled up at the summit.
It’s awesome looking back now on that first winter in New England and how naïve I was in the mountains. In the wintery wild.
Here are my four tips for anyone looking to dive into winter hiking (and not wanting to look like a marshmallow man):
1. Research
Search up the mountain you’re hoping to climb online on various platforms. I often look at mountains on Instagram under hashtags or locations, as well as read up on a handful of blogs for reviews. Reading AllTrails is also helpful for most recent hiking conditions. Fellow hikers help each other out by leaving a quick review (often times noting if spikes were needed).
2. Bundle Up
Winter hiking means a fuller pack, but it’s well worth the weight. I wear a base layer, followed by another layer under a winter jacket. Fleece-lined leggings and thick socks keep my legs warm and not boggled down on the trek. You often don’t realize how warm you’ll get on the hike, but going without an extra layer may mean discomfort at the summit, where conditions are drastically different than the first mile in.
3. Bring Spikes (and Snowshoes)
I don’t own snowshoes, and I’m not the biggest fan of carrying additional weight, so I often go without snowshoes even when it would’ve helped tremendously. As a result, I fall deep into snow (or as hikers say, postholing). Lessons have been learned and I often pick more popular trails that are likely to be packed down. Microspikes though will always be my go-to winter hiking essential. That trusty set I bought in Burlington five years ago is still holding on strong.
4. Check Weather Constantly
Growing up in Texas, everyone often joked that you can experience every season in a typical day in Texas. If you didn’t like the weather, just wait an hour. From an icy morning to 80 degrees and sunny all in a matter of hours. The irony is that I moved to Massachusetts and turns out, the same phrase is said up here. A morning snowstorm is entirely forgotten about by 11 A.M. Leaving us to wonder how we got a snow day when there were no remnants of the morning conditions left. The same mentality applies in the mountains. One minute you’re sweating in the sun, and in the next there could be torrential downpour and wind gusts that sweep you off your feet. It may sound dramatic, but on one beautiful, summer hike atop the presidentials in the Whites, it started hailing.
As a result, I frequently check the mountain I plan to hike days before and of course the morning of on https://www.mountain-forecast.com/. You enter in the mountain range or region, then you can tailor your search to which summit or area you plan to hike more specifically. I often lose services in the mountains, so checking this before I head on the trail is helpful.
Have you used any of this trips for recent winter hikes? What tips do you have to add for hiking in the winter? Let me know!
