Hiking in the Winter

Winter snow and ice on the Pocosin Hollow trail in Shenandoah National Park

A day hike in the winter can be a wonderful experience. Cold, brisk days. Outstanding views you can’t see in the summer. No insects. Few visitors. Ice sculptures on cliff faces and waterfalls.

But it also requires careful planning so it becomes an experience to treasure and not to dread. Winter hiking usually involves winter travel. That means walking on snow and ice. In normally warmer climates, when winter precipitation falls, snow can thaw and then melt, making for icy travel (such as in Shenandoah National Park where I just walked an eight-mile circuit hike in snow and ice). Snow walking can easily sap your strength quicker than you realize. When planning a day hike, it's important to use wisdom in calculating time and distance. Don’t be afraid to limit your hike for the day. It’s better to walk the trail and return safely with limbs intact than try for a higher mile day, slip due to fatigue and sprain an ankle or worse.

When walking on snow and ice, some sort of traction device on your feet is wise and makes for better assurance on the trail. Yaktrax works well in snowy conditions. Microspikes (such as Kahtoola) are useful in steeper and icier terrain. When walking in snow, use trekking poles to help with balance and give support in icy spots or over stream crossings. Take care that sometimes snow will cover rocks and logs in the path which could trip you up. Also, you are working ligaments and tendons much more in snow. Don’t overdo it or it can set you up for overuse injury such as straining a calf muscle, overworking the arch in your foot, or putting a strain on the Achilles tendon. It's also a good idea to use gaiters to keep snow and ice out of your boots. Once inside your boot, the snow can chill your feet and even cause frostbite and blister issues.

If you are contemplating a winter hike, carry the necessary gear in a sturdy daypack. Typical gear includes warm clothing (hat, gloves, insulated jacket, a pair of silk long johns can add warmth under clothing with minimal weight, a wind jacket helps break a cold wind or bring a rain jacket), a first aid kit, a headlamp (there is much less daylight in winter), maps, food and water, and a charged cell phone. Be sure to let someone on the homefront know where you will be and how long you will be gone.

Winter view from Hightop Mountain, Appalachian Trail, Shenandoah National Park

With just a few safety measures, winter hiking can be a great experience.

Related Blogs:

Winter Hiking Blues - Can't Hike

Winter Backpacking

YakTrax Review

Staying Warm at Night

2024 Blissful Hiking Review in Images

This was the year of finally returning to the Appalachian Trail (AT) and working my way northward, accomplishing 356.6 miles from Palmerton, Pennsylvania to Bennington, Vermont in three separate hikes.

But first came some hiking shakedowns in Shenandoah National Park, including a stay at the Jones Mountain Cabin, once owned by a mountaineer Harvey Nickols whose wife is buried on a knoll above the cabin. (cabins are rentable from the PATC)

 

Good waterfall hikes also added to a cardio workout until I could backpack. 

But my first test began on the AT at Palmerton, PA and ascending the rocks that turned out to be tough. That night I inadvertently became entwined in a search and rescue with dogs and drones (the hiker in question was deceased in his tent a mile from me, I found out later). There is never a dull moment on the AT,

Finally I left these series of rocks behind and crossed into New Jersey. I have always been partial to the NJ views on the trail (this is my third hike of the AT).

I left the trail to attend Trail Days in Damascus. Though a bit damp,  it was good to reconnect with hikers. I did not realize at the time though that this town and other places on the  AT would be devastated by Hurricane Helene that fall, leaving it scarred and heavily damaged. Many places are still struggling to come back alive after such devastation. 

The fall saw me continuing my AT northward trek, into New York and then the New England states where I enjoyed the coming fall colors and even witnessed my first snow and ice on the trail at Mt Greylock in  Massachusetts. I ended the section hike for 2024 at Bennington, Vermont.

I also did a weekend in the Cranberry Wilderness of West Virginia - remote and yes, a wilderness setting but with some interesting campsites. We hope to explore more of our sister state in the future.

So what does 2025 hold?

The plan is to continue hiking the AT starting from Bennington and hopefully see the trail to its conclusion at Katahdin in Maine and a third finish of this famous trail. Of course, I will sprinkle in other small backpack trips in Shenandoah and West Virginia. We are looking as well to the future and our first adventure overseas on a trail. 

Stay tuned for 2025. 

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Blissful Hiking Adventure books  - the Appalachian Trail north and south and the Florida Trail

*Coming in 2025 - "Bears, Blood, and Breakthroughs - The Life and Times of an Appalachian Trail Ridgerunner". Six years of adventure in Maryland and Shenandoah as an AT ridgerunner.

A New England Wander

Continuing on my journey of completing my third Appalachian Trail hike where I left off in mid-New York from my summer jaunts and onward into beautiful autumn weather. 

For the first week, beginning shy of Bear Mountain, NY, I had mild weather and even shorts weather without any precipitation and lots of sunshine. However, despite the warmth, the leaves were starting to turn and fall was in full progress.

But like anything, weather can change on a dime as it did while on my hike, including snow as I entered Massachusetts at the highest point of Mount Greylock. While there I stopped inside Boscomb Lodge for a nice cup of tea and a sandwich which I had missed on my previous two hikes. Seeing the pines decorated in snow and ice was magical. 

But it also taught me that carrying the winter gear I did for the first two weeks paid off on that last week when the weather turned cold. Always make sure you are planning and preparing for all weather contingencies especially if your section hike is a long one.

The hike was completed at Bennington, Vermont, of which next year I hope to finish the rest of the trail for my third AT completion.

I met several hikers out there, and a few even hiking the section I was doing in lower New England.  Like all aspects of the trail, one has to get used to the rocks and doing the uphills. Stairmaster heaven. But after spending three weeks, I had accomplished some pretty good conditioning, hoping that pausing the hike at Bennington, Vermont will prepare me for the challenging White Mountains of New Hampshire and the mountains of lower Maine. Stay tuned for hiking adventures in 2025.

For books on my hiking adventures on the AT and the Florida Trail, check out Blissful Hiking

Change of Plans... Now What?

There were many times that my hiking plans were curtailed.

For instance, I had planned twice to do the Benton MacKaye trail. Both times other circumstances came up (but I finally hiked it back in 2022). I was set to do the John Muir Trail until the snows hit hard and my husband hurt his back. We may try for it next year. 

And now this year when a hard-fought-after lottery win for hiking the North Cascades of Washington State got smashed with forest fires everywhere, yielding to closed trails and the campsites we had reserved.

Plans all changed.

So what do you do when you find your plans changing?

Thankfully there are plenty of places to enjoy a good walk in the woods! Check out nearby state parks, forests, and other places while you wait for the right time for a major trip. Keep seeking new adventures and don't stagnate. You may need to research alternate locations online, but they are out there. Meanwhile, get ready for the next trip and research on recreation.gov when the next lotteries open if you are required to go that route.

Sometimes other things happen. Sickness prevails. A family emergency crops up. An injury happens. Whatever. By no means should you give up on your idea of going on a trail. I look at it this way – well, this is not my time to do this trail. It’s for another season. Maybe when the weather is better or there will be hikers out there I’m supposed to meet. Change trails with health issues and maybe hike with a buddy or two.

I know it can be hard trying to rationalize it all. The most important thing is to not get down about it. Or angry, like with fires, injury, or other issues. Instead, make alternate plans. Search out new opportunities, maybe even an obscure trail or another trip altogether that will yield a grand adventure.

So don’t let detours get to you. Make a way around the detour and find yourself on a trail enjoying the best that nature has to offer. A joyful heart is great medicine. 

Related blogs: 

When Injury Sidelines You

When Plans Change 

Appalachian Trail Section Hike – PA and NJ

Continuing my endeavor to complete my third finish of the AT, which began many years ago and because of other trails like the Arizona and Pinhoti. had been put on hold until now. This journey saw me hike from Palmerton, PA, to High Point State Park in NJ, approx 70 miles.

 Day One 

The climb up from Palmerton was just as beastly as I remember. Hand over hand with cliffs jutting out. It didn’t help that several day hikers turned around, unable to make it. I almost lost it and found it extremely nerve-wracking. At least I remembered some tough stuff in the Catskills and finally discovered a side route around one challenging cliff. But found a way through it and kept going

 

Day Two

Wet, wet. It didn’t help that I had no sleep last night because of a search and rescue around my tent site (I found out later the guy was deceased in his tent probably about a mile from me !). Drones flew overhead and two separate rescuers and a dog showed up at my tent.

It was wet, cold with a cold wind today. Got down to Wind Gap and got a hotel room, the best decision I made. Having a nice Christian lady as the Uber driver who also prayed for me was a nice added bonus.

 

Day Three

The sun made an appearance, but it took most of the day to show up. Very glad it cleared overnight with a nice wind and a dry tent. Rocky at times.

 Day Four

6-mile hike into Delaware Water Gap for the night. The church hostel here has been going for many many years serving hikers. Lots of love. The post office here was a gem and helped mail home gear I inadvertently had left in the bottom of my pack from a cabin trip last week. And didn’t want to carry anymore lol. Stuffed myself with the Stromboli pizza and then headed to the hotel for the night. Seeing February thru hikers now.

 Day Five & Six

A very warm day to cross into New Jersey and onward into the hills. The rocks continued as well as in Rocky ledges. Nothing too difficult though. A rabbit and snake greeted me at Sunfish Pond.Nice campsite at Mohican Trail Center and a blueberry lemon cookie that was out of this world. They even made me veggie smoothie that felt good after an 80-degree hiking day.

The next day had nice views from the rocky ridge walk. New Jersey has some nice viewpoints. Just be on the lookout for snakes.  

Day Seven & Eight

Wet, wet yet again. But the sun came out for my ending pint at High Point State Park for this section. Hope to return in July.

 

 

 

 

 

The Arizona Trail - Part Two

 Late September saw my return to the Arizona Trail to finish this 800-mile adventure that began in the spring in Mexico. This time I would start the adventure at the Utah border and head south, some 450 miles, back to Roosevelt Lake where I ended in mid-April after completing 350 miles. This type of trek is commonly referred to as a "flip-flop" thru-hike. 

I began in Utah and traversed some lovely country to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon that netted me my first and only snowfall of this section - just a dusting - and lovely aspens turning into their famous golden color for the arrival of autumn.

Next up was the rim-to-rim venture of the famous Grand Canyon. We had excellent weather for it and blessedly not too hot on the canyon floor as temps can soar into the 90s and above. The early summer and late fall are excellent times to do it. If staying in the canyon, backcountry permits are required.

Crossing the Colorado River was a joy. As was meeting all sorts of friendly folks on the Bright Angel Trail - our chosen route due to lack of water. 

Afterwards, I headed out for eight days to Flagstaff, with fairly tame trail. But I had run-ins with prescribed burning and other wildfires that made life interesting on the trail and made it a first for me, walking by active burns. 

Eventually, the trail took me off the Colorado Plateau that I'd been hiking on for miles and into the mountain ranges that offered challenges in climbing, negotiating rocky paths, but providing stunning views including my final destination to complete the trail at Roosevelt Lake.

The Four Peaks Wilderness provided some of my more challenging times, outside my snowy descent off Miller Peak back in March.

But the conclusion of a major trail in one year, and a National Scenic Trail at that, made it all worth it. 

More:

The Arizona Trail - Part One

Blissful's Hiking Books 

 

The Arizona Trail - Part One

 Hiking the Arizona Trail was a totally unique experience in the realm of hiking. I’d hiked over 10,000 miles, mostly in the East, but Arizona was the farthest west I’d traveled for a trail. Here are some practical observations after hiking 350 miles of it from mid-March to mid-April, beginning at the border and hiking to Roosevelt Lake.

The border. I hiked down to the border with a friend and was glad I did. There was plenty of action. The Miller Peak area can be very active with border hoppers - wearing camo and day packs or wrapped in blankets and wearing Converse sneakers in the snow. Most are carrying gallon jugs. Try to hike the mountain in one day, esp. if it's foggy (like it was for me). Keep an eye on your surroundings at all times. Don't linger. Try to get a very early start and hike the border and Miller in one long day. 

Gates abound on the trail. I probably opened at least fifty of them and all with different mechanisms. Most of the trail lies within pastureland, even though it’s desert and cattle are grazing, so opening and closing gates are part of the experience. And get along with the cows. They are on the trail. I sang a song. “Oh, the hiker and the cows shall be friends” (from te movie Oklahoma! - lol). It worked well.

Learn how to get water. 

Of course, we hikers expect streams and creeks, which there are some on the Arizona Trail. But many times water is found in unexpected places, such as troughs, storage bins, water collection devices from rain - of which they are installing several on the trail - and other places. I carried two different methods of purifying (Sawyer and Aqua Mira) as some cow ponds for water are - yes, cow ponds, dung and all. And yeah, you will camp among the cow pies. It happens. 

There are a few water caches for hikers. Which is very much appreciated. But do not rely on them. Ever. What gallons may be there on the Far Out app can disappear in just a day or two with hiker bubbles. Don't be caught dry.

The air in Arizona is very dry so it’s vital to maintain hydration. Your skin dries out, your mouth dries out, and your nasal passages bleed easily. Many hikers complained of nausea. It’s vital to maintain hydration and to also take electrolytes, which I never used to do but now am a firm believer. You also must use sun protection. Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, long hiking shirts. Your skin is susceptible to sun poisoning. Keep it covered. Seek shade as best you can when resting. Do not sit and rest in the sun. And hydrate, hydrate.

I was amazed by the variety of foliage on the trail during this first half – but mostly prickly and burning. Even the trees. A good first aid kit and knife with tweezers are a must out there because you’ll get embedded thorns and other issues. And some of those thorns get easily infected. Make sure you remove them. If you set down your hiking poles and then pick them up, watch hitchhiker thorns. Be ever careful of thorns when setting up your tent and using an inflatable sleeping pad. I carried a thin ensolite foam pad to protect my main pad from prickers. But my inflatable seat cushion didn't make it. 

Walking in sandy soil for miles is tough on your feet, so blister protection is vital. And carry enough socks.

The Arizona Trail is not blazed. It is navigable through rock cairns, which are all over the place, esp in gorges, scattered signage, and following the trail on the Far Out app on your cell phone. At times small signposts let you know where the trail is at or small AZT markers.  But I got lost in a few places. And I followed lots of footsteps, except if they went in the wrong direction, like atop a snowy Mica. I also carried the Garmin Inreach mini, esp in part two of the hike, and was glad I did. Loved ones could follow my progression, and in case of rescue, I was covered.

There are places you need reservations and backcountry permits. Like Saguaro National Park. And of course, Grand Canyon when you get there. Plan accordingly. Both national parks though are great working with hikers doing the AZT.

This trail is not cheap. From air travel to shuttles to mailing food drops and town stops, along with gear, it’s expensive. Plan accordingly.  

Along the Arizona Trail in March, one can go from snow to hot desert. You need to be prepared for anything from the 20s all the way up to the 80s, requiring a variety of gear.  I did carry EXO spike traction devices for snow which were only good in the morning when the snow was firm. Slushy snow which I had on Miller Peak causes you to slip and fall which I did multiple times. One hiker actually lost his sleeping pad off the mountainside because of a fall. 

2023 was an extreme challenge in the weather because of all the high snow levels, so I actually hiked the trail in two sections. But because of those high snow levels, hikers bubbled up into groups, and we got to know each other. The Arizona Trail ended up being much more of a thru hiker type atmosphere like the AT - moreso than any other trail I’ve been on in recent years. And I’ve been on a lot of different trails. So it was nice to have that feel of an AT community in hiker towns like Kearny, and other places. Trail angels abound, and there is a good Facebook group to connect. And it was fun running into hikers along the way. We are all out there in it. We’re experiencing the different parts of the trail. It’s highs and lows. And learning from it is always the hallmark of a hike.

The Arizona Trail Part Two

My Hiking Adventures in Books