Last post, we
learned a lot about layering and conditioning for the winter trips. In this
post, I would like to continue some of that and give some tips for hiking and
camping in winter that will make your trip more enjoyable. These will simply be
some tricks and techniques that you may find beneficial.
Electronics such
as phones and cameras hate cold. The cold will eat up batteries and if the
electronic is on, the battery will suck down quicker than you would think. Something
else I learned recently is that iPhones REALLY don’t like cold and the battery
can be very fickle. I started my hike with a full battery to take a short
video. After 5 minutes of taking video, the phone shut off. I found that even
if the battery is not dead, it will shut off when cold. After I warmed it up
and turned it back on, it had 60% battery left. After 2 minutes of video, it
dropped to 20% then shut off and was dead. If you don’t need to use the
electronic while hiking, put it in your pack, wrapped in clothes to keep it
warm and turn it off when not using it. If you will be using it on the trail,
put it in the pocket of the layer closest to your body. It my case, I would put
it in my jeans pocket, or my fleece sweatshirt pocket. This will help keep the
battery warm. If you are using it while hiking, you can put a hand warmer on the
back side of it to help warm the battery. Something to remember is, when
hiking, you warm up and don’t feels the cold, but it’s still there and can hurt
your electronics.
If you wear
glasses, you can buy anti fog spray to keep them from fogging over. This can be
found in sports stores, dive shops, paintball shops, etc. If it is cold out,
you will want to have a neck gator or balaclava over your face which will fog
up your glasses (or ski goggles). This spray works very well. Also, if you will
be in a wet area, you can put RainX on your glasses to allow the water to run
off.
If you layer
just right for our hike, you may want to add an extra layer in your pack. When you
stop to set up camp and fix dinner, you will cool down significantly, so you
want that extra warmth. I suggest building a fire first thing, before you cool
down. You can put your pack close to the fire or hang a clothes line nearby and
put your extra layer on your pack or line. When you begin to cool down and need
that extra layer, it will be nice and warm.
If you haven’t read
some of my previous posts, you may learn a cool idea for space blankets. If you
place a space blanket on the ground and stake it down, between the fire and
your shelter, the heat will reflect into the shelter to warm it up. You can
also place your pack on the edge of the space blanket nearest the shelter and
the fire will keep your pack warm.
When hiking, the
general rule is to take your first break after 30 minutes of hiking, then every
50 minutes after that. But in winter, it is crucial that you keep sweating to a
minimum. If you start feeling yourself heat up or sweat, you can start by
opening your layers to cool off. But I suggest taking a short break once you
start feeling like you’re about ready to sweat. Sit down, get a drink, unzip your
jacket, and hang out for about 5 minutes before continuing. When you feel it is
starting to get too cold to leave your jacket unzipped, it’s time to keep
going. Remember, too, that if there is more than one person in your party, you need
to accommodate to everyone. You should take your break when the first person
needs to. As soon as one of your buddies says it’s time for a break, take a
break. You may feel fine, but if he is starting to sweat, it’s time to stop.
When hiking in
snow, I recommend only having one bottle of water with you. You don’t really
need any more than that. Yes, you burn more calories in the winter and water consumption
goes up, but you really only need one bottle. Keep a Nalgene bottle in an
insulator and this is your drinking water for the hike. When you need more
water, you can pull out your cook pot and melt snow. Not only can you melt
snow, but you can heat it up and add hot cocoa or tea! You already carry more
gear in the winter than summer and that extra water only adds unnecessary
weight. Not only that, but if you are on a long hike and don’t have insulators
for all of your bottles, they could possibly freeze.
Speaking of
freezing, you want to carry your water bottle upside down when on long hikes,
especially when it’s REALLY cold out. I have an insulator that goes on the
outside of my pack, but is still keep the bottle upside down. If your water
starts to freeze, it will freeze on top first. If your bottle is right side up
and begins to freeze, you will have an ice layer to break through. But if the
bottle is upside down, the water will freeze in the bottom of the bottle. Also,
another word of advice: leave the Camelback at home! You can get insulators for
the bladder and hose and keep the water warm, but it’s more work than needed
and a bottle works just as well. If you use a Camelback, you have to blow that
water that’s in the hose, back into the bladder to keep it from freezing and
even then, the bite piece can freeze.
These are just a
few tips to start off the winter. There will be plenty more during the season
along with specifics on hiking, packing a gear sled, building a gear sled,
skiing, snowshoes, and more. I hope you are ready for your first winter hike
and if you are a seasoned hiker, I hope you can take something away from this
post. Please comment any questions or suggestions.
No comments:
Post a Comment