five sounds
MyPeeSmellsLikeCoffee247
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2013
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- sx/sp
Remember the winter gets cold in ways you always forget.
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- Thread starter five sounds
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I remember it with fondness. 
I really enjoy winter hiking and backpacking. Every winter, I dream of deep snow and seeing -40 (where F = C). Maybe this year I'll see -40. Unlikely, but I'm going to try hard for at least -20F.
The most fun trip I did so far was the UP of Michigan with a low of about 9F and 4 feet of snow with a snowstorm delivering more.
Edit: Also, this song comes to mind. I use it as inspiration (and caution) on my winter trips.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YbhB_A_8fM
I really enjoy winter hiking and backpacking. Every winter, I dream of deep snow and seeing -40 (where F = C). Maybe this year I'll see -40. Unlikely, but I'm going to try hard for at least -20F.
The most fun trip I did so far was the UP of Michigan with a low of about 9F and 4 feet of snow with a snowstorm delivering more. Edit: Also, this song comes to mind. I use it as inspiration (and caution
) on my winter trips. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YbhB_A_8fM
five sounds
MyPeeSmellsLikeCoffee247
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2013
- Messages
- 5,392
- MBTI Type
- ENFP
- Enneagram
- 729
- Instinctual Variant
- sx/sp
[MENTION=71]JAVO[/MENTION], you crazy polar bear!
I'm so envious of your adventures and of your bravery against the cold! I truly curl up like a rollie pollie in the cold, and the darkness of winter makes it all the more paralyzing.
I live in Michigan, and I know things get pretty crazy way up north in the winter! Also, despite how the winter makes me feel physically, I LOVE the way snow looks across a landscape. It doesn't even matter if it's a dirty suburb or a city street, something about a fresh snow gives everything a touch of pure beauty.
I wish I could trek around a winter wonderland like that! Hey, maybe I can. I'll have to get all proper gear, but I'm sure if you keep moving at a decent pace, you generate a good amount of heat yourself. Do you build fires along the way? How far do you go?
I'm so envious of your adventures and of your bravery against the cold! I truly curl up like a rollie pollie in the cold, and the darkness of winter makes it all the more paralyzing.
I live in Michigan, and I know things get pretty crazy way up north in the winter! Also, despite how the winter makes me feel physically, I LOVE the way snow looks across a landscape. It doesn't even matter if it's a dirty suburb or a city street, something about a fresh snow gives everything a touch of pure beauty.
I wish I could trek around a winter wonderland like that! Hey, maybe I can. I'll have to get all proper gear, but I'm sure if you keep moving at a decent pace, you generate a good amount of heat yourself. Do you build fires along the way? How far do you go?
[MENTION=18819]nicolita[/MENTION]
I have a polar bear avatar for a reason.
I used to mostly hide from winter, but that was kinda depressing because I like being outdoors so much. As a kid, I often played out in the cold for much of the day no matter how cold it was. I've regressed, and it's just as fun as when I was a kid.
Oh, so you really do know winter well! I'm in central Ohia. The snow does make everything look like another beautiful world!
Sure you can trek into the winter wonderland! All it really takes is the desire to do so, and the experience and knowledge follow along easily after that. You already know one of the basic important principles about generating a lot of heat while moving. The secret to staying warm is to stay just slightly cool. When you sweat, everything gets wet, and then that eventually makes for a very cold rest break. For example, in the low to mid 20's, I often hike with just a medium weight fleece jacket on. If it's windy, I add a wind-blocking shell layer, such as a rain jacket. Start with daytrips to the local park, avoid wearing cotton (it's cold when wet and doesn't dry), get a pair or two of wool hiking socks, and go out walking, hiking, snowshoeing, or xc skiing. Having an extra pair of wool socks with you is great when your feet start to get cold from being wet. You can get into waterproof-breathable footwear eventually to help prevent that. Really it's all fairly simple, as it's about learning from your own experiences how your body responds to the cold and what you need to help it. I've done so many 2 hour "campouts" at night in the backyard to test gear and my cold response that the neighbors probably think my wife kicks me out of the house often! I learn just as much in those 2 hours as I would on a whole weekend trip.
I usually have a campfire at night, but sometimes I'm just too exhausted to go looking for wood and trying to get a fire going with damp wood. It is so nice to have one though to warm up and dry out, and to just sit around and talk! In deep cold less than 0F or so, you either need a fire or a liquid white gas stove because water is often obtainable only from melting snow, and those are the only options which will work. I didn't have either on the UP trip, and I stayed hydrated for 3 days by mostly eating snow, although there were a few accessible streams, and my hiking companion had a little extra water after melting snow sometimes.
Distance varies significantly with the conditions. On the UP trip, I did 6 miles the first day because the first 4 miles or so had been packed by a snowmobile with only a little fresh snow on top. The last 2 miles were very slow because it was mostly uphill in deep, unpacked snow where it appeared no one had ventured all winter. I moved at a rate of 1 mile per hour then! The next day was similar, only doing about 4 miles. The last day was a faster 4-6 miles because the last 2 were on groomed xc ski trails. Just wearing snowshoes slowed me down. I did another trip a few years before to WV without snowshoes, and sometimes did as much as 12-15 miles per day, although I was very exhausted!
I could talk forever about this, so let me know if you decide to become a fellow polar bear!
I have a polar bear avatar for a reason.
I used to mostly hide from winter, but that was kinda depressing because I like being outdoors so much. As a kid, I often played out in the cold for much of the day no matter how cold it was. I've regressed, and it's just as fun as when I was a kid.
Oh, so you really do know winter well! I'm in central Ohia.
The snow does make everything look like another beautiful world!Sure you can trek into the winter wonderland! All it really takes is the desire to do so, and the experience and knowledge follow along easily after that. You already know one of the basic important principles about generating a lot of heat while moving. The secret to staying warm is to stay just slightly cool. When you sweat, everything gets wet, and then that eventually makes for a very cold rest break. For example, in the low to mid 20's, I often hike with just a medium weight fleece jacket on. If it's windy, I add a wind-blocking shell layer, such as a rain jacket. Start with daytrips to the local park, avoid wearing cotton (it's cold when wet and doesn't dry), get a pair or two of wool hiking socks, and go out walking, hiking, snowshoeing, or xc skiing. Having an extra pair of wool socks with you is great when your feet start to get cold from being wet. You can get into waterproof-breathable footwear eventually to help prevent that. Really it's all fairly simple, as it's about learning from your own experiences how your body responds to the cold and what you need to help it.
I've done so many 2 hour "campouts" at night in the backyard to test gear and my cold response that the neighbors probably think my wife kicks me out of the house often! I learn just as much in those 2 hours as I would on a whole weekend trip. I usually have a campfire at night, but sometimes I'm just too exhausted to go looking for wood and trying to get a fire going with damp wood. It is so nice to have one though to warm up and dry out, and to just sit around and talk! In deep cold less than 0F or so, you either need a fire or a liquid white gas stove because water is often obtainable only from melting snow, and those are the only options which will work. I didn't have either on the UP trip, and I stayed hydrated for 3 days by mostly eating snow, although there were a few accessible streams, and my hiking companion had a little extra water after melting snow sometimes.
Distance varies significantly with the conditions. On the UP trip, I did 6 miles the first day because the first 4 miles or so had been packed by a snowmobile with only a little fresh snow on top. The last 2 miles were very slow because it was mostly uphill in deep, unpacked snow where it appeared no one had ventured all winter. I moved at a rate of 1 mile per hour then! The next day was similar, only doing about 4 miles. The last day was a faster 4-6 miles because the last 2 were on groomed xc ski trails. Just wearing snowshoes slowed me down. I did another trip a few years before to WV without snowshoes, and sometimes did as much as 12-15 miles per day, although I was very exhausted!
I could talk forever about this, so let me know if you decide to become a fellow polar bear!
