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Four tips for cold weather hiking fun
Cold weather hiking fun can be a reality, if you take careful steps to be prepared for unique weather and hiking conditions. Here are four tips for cold weather hiking fun:
Tip 1. Dress for cold weather hiking success. This seems so obvious it shouldn't be necessary to mention it, but every year someone somewhere goes out for a hike, gets overtaken by unexpected foul weather, and ends up lost or injured or otherwise at risk. That really takes the fun out of cold weather hiking in a hurry!
Don't start a hike longer than a stroll near home or in a park without taking along some warm coats and socks, insulated slacks or hiking pants, gloves, and a cap. Even if it's just late fall or early winter where you're going and you hear nothing but positive weather forecasts, be prepared for sudden weather changes anyway. Layered clothing is always the best advice for cold weather hiking. Take that advice to heart.
Tip 2. Be very aware of the terrain and prevailing weather in the location where you will be hiking or climbing. This, too, is important no matter what time of the year or what the weather patterns when you go for a hike. But it is especially important in the winter or if/when you know cold weather could become an issue.
My son recently returned from a week long trip to Colorado. He tries to get there every summer to climb some of that state's famous "Fourteeners" -- mountains with summits at 14,000 feet elevation or higher. He is always amazed at many of the climbers and hikers he encounters on some of the trails at these sites, because they have no clue about prevailing weather patterns and little idea about the terrain. This year's trip came a few weeks later than usual for him, yet he prepared himself by learning the terrain and studying prevailing weather patterns. (He actually warned one younger climber that he was heading up the trail too late in the day; in that particular area, afternoon thunderstorms with lots of cloud-to-ground lightning break out nearly every late afternoon/early evening.)
Tip 3. Don't neglect to take adequate water and even some energy bars or other convenient food along on your cold weather hike. This tip, too, should be very obvious to experienced hikers and climbers. But it's amazing the number of hikers who equate HOT weather with the need to carry a water supply, and think COLD or cool weather somehow doesn't require much in the way of portable water. In fact, cool or cold weather hiking still means your body needs adequate, quality drinking water to function properly. You can become dehydrated just as easily on a cold weather hike as a hot weather hike. And, of course, any hiking or climbing requires energy, so always bring along an energy bar or other easily carried eats, like fruit, nuts, grains, etc. And be sure you pack your water bottle and food supplies deep inside your clothing or a good backpack to prevent the liquids from freezing!
Tip 4. Even if you're only going for a short hike, try to take along some basic shelter material or tent and a sleeping bag. Unfailingly, outdoor lore is filled with hikers who expected to be out a few hours then back on a cold weather hike -- only to find themselves injured in a fall or somehow disabled or disoriented. They may or may not survive the weather and make it back safely in good health. Do not be one of those people. With the abundance of lightweight, easily portable tents and shelters on the market, there's little excuse for not taking along a minimal amount of emergency survival gear -- including, perhaps, a brightly colored scarf or cloth you can use to alert rescuers in a worst-case scenario.
There are many other tips and tricks you may already know for cold weather hiking. But take the time and effort to prepare for it, and you can enjoy some cold weather hiking fun!
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