5 Things to Know About Winter Adventures
To all the fair-weather outdoor people, the winter can be one of the best times to visit your favorite hiking destination.
Mule deer in The Narrows in Zion National Park on a snowy day.
Now, there are many reasons why people might be hesitant about winter hiking. It’s cold out there. In the regular summer hiking attire it would be horrible, but if you take the extra gear and precautions it can turn into the best outdoor experience you’ll have.
Here’s a few things to realize about hiking and playing outdoors in the winter.
More Gear
Yeah, it is cold out there so you’ll want to be wearing more clothes. But, “It’s not as cold as you think it will be.” Chelsea, my wife, told me about getting outdoors in the winter -- I drag her out there a lot. As you start hiking you’ll heat up, so make sure you layer your clothes to be able to take a layer off when you get warm.
Slow Down
When hiking in the winter, things go slower. You’re carrying more gear and wearing more clothes. You will go slower than you’d hike in the summer. This isn’t a bad thing. Learn to take your time and be mindful of everything that is happening.
Shorter Days
Second thing, less light during the day. You can’t plan to be out in the sunlight for as long. There just isn’t enough daylight. But the sunsets are phenomenal during the winter. The cloud coverage of the storms that move in cause the sunlight to turn the sky orange, gold, yellow and red like no other time of the year.
Less People
Another point, there are less people out there. That is my favorite part about it. Hikes that are usually overcrowded during the spring, summer or fall seasons are usually only crowded by myself or other non-fair-weather hikers. Granted, after you read this you might be running out the door and crowding my winter recreation.
Burning Calories
You burn more calories during the winter too. Hiking is great exercise by itself, but now having to trudge through snow makes it that much more of a workout. The other part of this is your body burns calories because it has to convert the cold air into warm enough air for your body to use.
Those are just a few of the great reasons I enjoy hiking in the winter verses hiking in the summer.
Now go out and enjoy.
