Feb 07 2010
Winter Hiking: When Good Gear Can Make a Difference
There is just something delightful about winter hiking. Newly-fallen snow absorbs sound, so a hike can offer unusual peace and quiet. Most trail users head inside during this season, so trails are often free of traffic. Winter conditions can often make a four or five mile local park hike a real challenge. Sometimes, I will stand at the tip of Pointe Mouillee in Monroe County and look across the vastness of a solidly frozen Lake Erie and feel like a polar explorer three miles from the trailhead.
I thought about all of these things as I hiked yesterday at Heritage Park in Adrian. Heritage is always a nice place to hike. It offers roughly ten miles of trail up and down hills and along small cliff edges. One of the challenges of hiking in these conditions is ice on the trail. This wasn’t so much a problem yesterday with two or three inches of new snow. However, trail users tend to pack down the snow on trails. This eventually turns to ice.
So, trekking poles are a good option. Top quality poles can run a hundreds bucks or more. The poles tend to have a telescoping option that allows the equipment to be reduced to a foot or so in size for travel. These poles are often light and made of advanced composite metals. However, one does not need to spend that much on poles. I used a pair that I had picked up for sale for $5 at Goodwill. And, in fact, a pair of old ski poles will often do the trick. These can be found at almost any second-hand store for a buck or two.
Trekking poles allow for three and four points of contact with the ground. This is extremely helpful when hiking up an icy hill. They can also be used for balance when crouching under a fallen tree.
Another piece of must-have gear is a pair of waterproof boots. On many occasions, I have made water crossings in winter with no loss of foot comfort. Many shoes have a Gore-Tex or other lining that allows for breathability to remove foot sweat, but still maintain a quality impervious to outside moisture. Several miles in running shoes or traditional boots can often result in wet, blistery feet. Good boots are a place to splurge. Sure, cheap waterproof boots and trail runners are possible to find. But there is no more important piece of gear than footwear for a hiker.
Moisture, of course, can also be deadly up top. So, rather than wearing a big, heavy coat, a winter hiker will want to dress in layers. Wear a Gore-Tex shell to keep snow out. And wear a synthetic fleece inside for warmth. This can be removed if it gets too warm. I like to wear a moisture-wicking golf polo as my base layer. I can often get away with wearing the Gore-Tex shell and just the polo while hiking in temps through the lower twenties. Gore-Tex shells run about a hundred dollars at Cabela’s. Moisture-wicking polos run about $20 at Walmart and Kohl’s.
Hiking in winter has many advantages. And it can often be a quite comfortable experience.
