
Snowshoeing is a great cardio workout and lots of fun with Friends!
Some of my favorite hikes have been the morning after a light snow and the Trees and hills are covered with a thin blanket of white, and there is that remarkable fresh smell to the air. Winter Hiking is so much fun and you will find that some of your favorite spots are not only less crowed but can take on a different look entirely from the spring and summer. Winter Hiking brings with it a need for different equipment and depending upon the length of the hike it could be merely a matter of clothing, or the need for specialized shelter and food preparation equipment. With all the weather sites on the Internet and the availability of real-time weather apps for most smart phones those who hike in the winter can do so more safely and enjoyably than ever before.

Cyndi Cruz is an accomplished cold weather Hiker shown here at Hatcher Pass Alaska
This is a good time to talk about the wicking properties of your clothing. I found this out the hard way along with my friend and renowned climber Alan Burgess in the Himalayas about 12 years ago. DO NOT WEAR COTTON! You will sweat and when you do you want to be wearing a material that can wick moisture away from your skin and dry quickly. To put it mildly, cotton isn’t it! In cold temperatures you want to be as dry as possible and synthetic fibers is the way to go. I wore cotton for a day on my way from Lukla airport which is the usual starting point for treks to Everest Base Camp and other peaks along the way and I can tell you that no matter how cold the temperature may drop, you are exerting yourself and will sweat. Combine that damp icky feeling with a strong wind as you climb to higher elevations and you will not only feel like a piece of meat in a freezer, you have the possibility of hypothermia.
Basically, layering is the way to go weather you are hiking, hunting or even running trails near your home in the wintertime, but there are other precautions that need to be addressed as well. It’s the winter and you must pay attention to potentially icy conditions. If you are like me, I can take a good spill just walking on the sidewalk if I’m not paying attention. Running trails in the winter or hiking on narrow trails near cliffs can make this disastrous. Consider using some type of snow or ice traction equipment such as crampons or studded trail shoes if the conditions warrant it. You may also consider various types of snow traction devices such as those that can simply be attached over whatever type of shoe you are wearing. Walking sticks and hiking poles are also very good tools to have whether you are out for a day hike or deep in the snow of the backcountry in winter.As a native Floridian, I have to pay particular attention to the weather and trail conditions in winter as I will almost assuredly come across conditions that I am not familiar with and must proceed with caution. For this reason I make certain that whoever I am on winter hiking with is not only adept at colder weather hiking but is a good mentor as well. Winter or cold weather hiking is not for everyone, but you can beat the spring and fall crowds and still have a great day in the great outdoors as even in the dead of winter there are some days that are just spectacular.










