Submitted by Dr_JackMeoff t3_zgxfzt in vermont
Rich_Depth7314 t1_izj4rmw wrote
Snowshoeing has slowly become my favorite hiking season over the years. The winter landscape is amazing, and the relative lack of heat, bugs, and crowds really helps. Some random thoughts:
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- Be safe - winter can be a dangerous time. Snow can obscure trails, and short days mean that it can be relatively easy to get lost and in a somewhat dire spot. Keep an eye on trail blazes, and bring a good emergency kit - headlamp (with lithium batteries that will hold charge in the cold), emergency blanket, whistle, some chemical chest warmers (big hot hands), map and compass or independent GPS unit (cell phones can die quickly in cold - keep them next to your body to hold charge best).
- I really love my plastic deck MSR snowshoes; they are particularly great for climbing and descending on even somewhat-icy trails. Regardless, you want to decide what kind of hiking you are primarily going to do before you purchase. Long snowshoes will give you more loft and can be fast on flats, but they will be clumsy and awkward on tighter forest trails.
- On that note, good trails are often the same ones as summer. Camels Hump, for instance, is a wonderful snowshoe. One thing to keep in mind is that it is very different to break a trail vs using one already broken. The heavier-use areas generally get broken out pretty quickly after a fresh snow, but less-used trails might require being broken out fully. Breaking trail is tremendously taxing, and you ideally want a few people to rotate through. Finding trip reports from recent outings on AllTrails, peakbagger, and other northeast hiking forum sites can be very helpful to get a sense of current trail conditions.
- Climbing in snowshoes is hard work, and you want to bring layers. Managing body temp is as important as anything when you are exerting a lot in cold air. You don't want to work so hard that you are covered in sweat. I regularly climb in winter in a t-shirt. So layering down when moving (particularly climbing) but having warmer layers to put on when cold is pretty handy. Done right, you can balance your body heat with the cold air such that you barely sweat. As someone who naturally runs hot, this is perfect for me.
- On a related note, you're going to want to take short breaks - it gets cold if you stop too long. Bring easy-to-eat snacks, etc.
- If you are going to be above treeline, even for just a bit, you will want to have wind-proof layers and a good pair of mittens. A scarf or neoprene face shield can be helpful, too; even goggles in some conditions. On something like Camel's Hump, you could get away without having that, but you will be less comfortable.
- Wide-mouthed water bottles take longer to freeze over in your pack. Bladders and hoses are tough to keep ice-free and I find generally not worth using in winter. Bottle insulators exist as well, if you are planning for long days.
- Buy/use gaiters. They are invaluable and a total game changer for keeping snow out of your boots. They will keep you much dryer and warmer. You will want water-proof, insulated boots (but make sure they are for hiking) as well, as the snow will melt and slowly seep in if not.
- Bring microspikes, too, if you go into mountains. All kinds of frozen spots in trails can become unsafe to navigate in winter. Rescuers in the northeast regularly respond to broken ankles, etc, from falls on ice. Microspikes are incredible, like mini-crampons. And if they trail is firmly broken out already, you can just strap your shoes on your pack and use spikes (though be careful that some places do have local regs requiring snowshoes; high peaks in dacks, for instance).
- VT has plenty of great stuff, but winter hiking in the White Mtns in NH and high peaks of NY, particularly once you are comfortable above treeline, is really phenomenal.
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