My 5 Nonessential Essentials in a Winter Hiking Trip

While trudging along the trail this past week, enduring frigid temps with cold winds that can cut through even my heavyweight fleece, I thought about those things that some may not consider essential but you are sure to find in my pack on a winter hiking trip.

1. Cell Phone - an important tool, especially if the trip goes wrong. The camera feature makes many memories of your winter adventure. Another item of value - the Garmin InReach. It can be used in emergency situations that may well save your life.

2. Chapstick – Oh yes, that tiny little tube of wonder that keeps your lips from drying and then cracking when you near the end of your journey, smiling from a great wander. Sore lips are no fun, especially if you plan to stop at the taco joint afterward. Ouch.

3. A Seat Pad – once a luxury item, maybe a HUGE necessity when you plan to stop for a break or lunch and find the rocks covered in snow. Or even sitting in the cold on an ice-cold rock just makes you downright chilly. Thermarest and other brands make nice lightweight options to keep your tushy from freezing on a break.

4. Traction devices like Yak Trax or Microspikes.  I can’t begin to say the number of times I have begun a trail without anything on the ground, only to hike higher in elevation into unexpected snow and ice. Traction devices have saved a hike, turning what would have been a treacherous journey into an enjoyable, confident, and safe excursion.

Unexpected icy trails - Yaktrax or microspikes helps the trek

5. Wind shirt – While pricey at times, this ultralight garment is truly a necessity when the winter winds whip up, cutting right through your Polartec fleece or merino wool top. It provides just what you need to block the wind and keep you warm. I like it too for an extra layer. Be sure a down jacket is part of the packing. Most are packable into a stuff sack with little effort. It comes in handy when stopping for a snack.

Your turn – what are your nonessential essentials?

Be sure to also check out my blog on Day Hiking in Winter

Other related blogs:

Observations of a Two Week Appalachian Trail Hike

Gear List from an Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker

Other hiker gear lists 

You never can have too many to compare! Sharing this post from our files of an alternate gear list for an Appalachian Trail thru hike.

This hiker's start was in February, but keep in mind that winter conditions can persist on the trail all throughout the spring. So far its been wet out there for 2019, so prepare mentally as well.

A couple of people have asked for a gear list from my Thru Hike Feb 1^st.  The first couple of weeks were very pleasant. Then we had several days of snow and ice with temperatures below zero long

Triumphant finish.

about the Smokies.

Here is a summary:

I am using a well worn ULA Catalyst back pack. When I no longer need winter cloths I would switch to the smaller ULA Circuit pack. I bought a new ULA Catalyst when I got to Damascus. The old one served me well for thousands of miles. I never did use it this hike since I switched to my ULA Circuit pack for the rest of the trip to Katahdin

Western Mountaineering 20* ultra light down bag less than two pounds

Xped Neo Air regular sleep pad 16 oz - this pad worked out great. At twice the insulation value of a Z Rest. In the past I have carried a Neo and a Z Rest in winter or a Ridgerest and a z rest. This pad did the job at half the weight. A generous seat pad offers some backup protection.

Ready to go for the 2105 thru hike

Mont Bell bivi 9 oz
Jet Boil titanium SOL stove, I think its’ about 11 oz long handled Sea to Summit aluminum spoon
Flash hoody down jacket
Flash down pants
Mont bell 6 oz down jacket
Fleece jacket 200 weight
Golight tights
Patagonia silk weight top and bottom
EMS zippered v neck top
2 pair Darn Tough socks I will be wearing one pair of these socks and some other items depending on daytime weather
Running shorts, worn over tights or capilene as needed...rain pants are the only pants I carry
2 stocking hats one much thicker than the other
wind bloc pro balaclava
a couple of buff hats
touch screen light gloves, fingerless army wool gloves, thick thinsulate gloves
Rain wear: Marmot Super Mica jacket, REI elements rain pants, Rocky Goretex socks, Mountain Laurel rain mittens
Water: Sawyer filter, a couple of Gatorade bottles and a couple of Smart Water bottles, one pint size Nalgene serves as coffee cup or emergency hot water bottle. I did not use my Sawyer filter until the Smokies at a shelter with mostly ground water and no privy. Next time I plan to use Aquamaira during weather where the Sawyer filter might freeze and ruin. It’s a pain to try and keep the Sawyer from freezing so it just makes since to carry Aquamira until the weather warms up then switch to a Sawyer original not the mini.

Leki hiking poles, three folds of a Zrest pad for a generous sit pad. 
Suunto altimeter watch, whistle.

ELECTRONICS

Galaxy S5 phone amazing battery life in black and white mode, Anker 16000 mah E5 brick battery at 10 oz its as heavy as a brick but this is a luxury cruise, 5.5 volt 2 amp charger, headlight. I sent the Anker battery brick home with its fast charger. Instead I just carried 3 extra batteries for my phone @ about 1 ounce each. I found that I didn't care to play with my phone as much as I expected as it distracted from my immersion in nature. The spare batteries were more than enough for pictures, Guthook trail maps and an occasional movie the day before town.

Guthooks AT Hiker apps, I love electronic gadgets, 2015 Data Book this is what I hike with when I take a break I jot the time down next to my position in the Data Book this makes it easy to judge location, travel time/miles. For town planning and additional water spots I use both AWOL and ALDHA Companion and I have both in pdf format also. 

FOOD

I have packed 6.5 ‪#‎s food for 4 days the last day being mostly Ramen. Mostly I am eating Mountain House freeze dried food and Lipton sides that has been repackaged into ziplock freezer bags. I do not care for the Liptons by themselves without doctoring them up. Last year I got to liking 1/2 a freeze dried meal and 1/2 a lipton noodle and rice side mixed together. Boiling water is poured into the ziplock bag with the food after about 15 min I eat from the bag, no cleanup and little trash and no food smell in my stove. No stirring while cooking KISS keep it simple stupid makes for a happy Thru hiker.

This year I did not care much for the Liptons mixed with Mountain House. They are so so if you have a can of meat to add and maybe a handful of raisins. I gradually moved to not having a hot breakfast, just coffee and a honey bun or something similar. Just in the last month I finally started liking oatmeal, well Quaker super grains blend with at least a quarter cup of nuts and berries. So I expect I’ll eat that some for breakfast next trip.

I do not like Starbucks very much but I often use the Via's on trail for a good dose of caffeine. Lunch is about a pound of candy bars, peanut butter crackers, nuts, beef sticks, cheese, cookies that sort of stuff. Mostly I eat one of those items every hour and sit down for a few minutes. This trip I abandoned my Jardean method of eating every hour with a 5 min break. Instead we did a more conventional longer break every couple of hours.

WEATHER CONSIDERATIONS

While in town I evaluate expected weather etc for the next section hike to the next town. At NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center)  with -10* below zero weather approaching, I purchased a second pint Nalgene and an extra 7 oz can of fuel beyond what I expected to use. The extra Nalgene and fuel where great luxury items and I enjoyed many hot beverages and hot water bottles.

My brother and I held up at Fontana Resort a few days for the worst of the below zero weather and precipitation. The Smokies was officially closed, all trails and roads. Luckily they lifted the ban on hiking trails and we were able to cautiously continue our hike. Sure its only 35 miles to Newfound Gap and I have made that in two days of good weather. But if Newfound Gap road is still closed then its another 15 miles to Gatlinburg for resupply. On my 2012 SOBO I narrowly missed 6 foot of snow around Newfound/ Cingmans Dome from a predicted major storm, sometimes referred to as the Sandy Hook storm. There were lots of unprepared sobo hikers with no gloves, warm clothes or rain gear braving windy temperatures in the teens. They foolishly listened to Thru hikers from 2011 a very warm dry year. Luckily I have never had one of those years where there is a cold rain for six weeks straight but it happens. So we headed into the Smokies with a few days extra supplies and about twice the fuel that we expected to need. Moving shelter to shelter with additional snow each day. Yea Newfound Gap road was open.

Weather can be expected to be anywhere form 65* to - 10* day or night, rain, snow, ice, packed snow can all happen. Oh yea I have a pair of Yaktrax Pro for additional traction if needed. The Yaktrak Pro's have served me ok in the past and are definitely better than nothing. With hard ice (daytime highs in single digits) and off camber trail they offered only a little grip. We switched to Hillsounds brand light crampon and wore them for 90 miles including the Smokies. They worked great. You can pretty much count on the Smoky mountains to be a sheet of ice until spring. April before last it warmed up to 4* before I reached Newfound gap it was awesomely beautiful. I walked the road down from Clingmans Dome because the road was closed and I knew the views were much better than from the trail.

All that and 20 oz of water leaves me with a 30# pack.

Remember take all advice with a grain of salt or maybe a shot of whiskey 

Chase Davidson is a long time distance hiker starting in 1982 with over 19,000 lifetime miles including: IMT-87, AT-99, GG-99, ALT-00, HATT-00, LT-01, TT-01, ART-02, BMT-04, AT-06, JMT-11,
AT-12, FHT-13, Big-O-13. FT-14, AT-2015.

Related Blogs:

Top 5 Worries About Thru Hiking

Thru Hiking the AT on a Budget

Letter of a $1000 Thru Hiker

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas

Greeted with snow that morning in the Smokies

Long ago, when I was section hiking the Appalachian Trail in what I thought was a snow-safe month of late March, 2014 (is any month snow-or-storm-safe when in the Great Smoky Mountains? I should know better!) - I trudged through foot-tall drifts of snow along with bitter cold temps. It was difficult to hike in but beautiful all the same. Back then, all I could think of was how much it looked like Christmas. 

Snowy footprints to follow

So enjoy some photos of that time with our wish here at Blissful Hiking that you have a wonderful Christmas- snow or no snow!

My humble abode in the snow

On the way to Clingman's Dome, highest point on the AT. March 2014

On Clingman's Dome

The sun sets at the Mt Collins Shelter

Observations of a Two Week Appalachian Trail Hike – Stecoah Gap to Spivey Gap

I did the first of the series last spring where I covered Amicalola Falls State Park to Stecoah Gap, and my observations had to do with other hikers.

The start at Stecoah Gap. Harmless hiking...for now.

This time around, the observations really had to do with me. You see, I had to endure weather conditions I’ve never faced or faced in limited quantities during my spring hike this year from March 23 - April 5th . I am no winter hiker. I have never been out in anything less than 15 degrees, nor am I much on snow hiking. I did a 17 mile snow hike in Shenandoah National Park this past winter, and I must say, that hike really got me ready for what was in store during this time.

1.       Winter Camping – I broke my all-time camping temps at nine degrees at Derrick Knob shelter in the Great Smoky Mountains. When I arrived at 4 PM, the shelter was packed. Fresh snow lay on the ground with more falling. I had not ever been camping when snow was falling. Nevertheless I dug out a spot and erected my tent in a blustery wind that dropped the wind chill to below zero.

My tent set up at Derrick Knob Shelter

I put on every stitch of clothing I had and used a silk liner inside my humble 15 degree bag along with a hand warmer. I managed to stay mostly warm. What I didn’t count on was the water bottles freezing solid, including ice plugs on the top. My trail shoes froze solid (and they can take forever to get back on!). And my stove was inoperable. I learned to warm up the bottles to get a bit of water and warm up the canister, but only on the advice of other hikers. Which leads to #2

2.       Hikers helping Hikers – I was given good advice on winter camping from hikers who knew what to do. One hiker told me to carry my canister in my pocket as I got ready for camp so it would light. When I arrived at a shelter later that day, another hiker had water there from a spring so I could fill up (I’d had nothing to drink for six miles because the bottles were still frozen solid). He also went and got me fresh water as well. When I found out my lighter would not work, a fellow hiker offered me her spare pack of matches (I should have thought to bring matches as a backup).

Rescued at Newfound Gap by a fellow hiker

Another hiker picked me up at Newfound Gap and took me to Cherokee to warm up, resupply etc., all on her dime. And a fellow hiker offered the idea of getting to town to dry out after a very wet two day slog through the final days in the Smokies, and only after he helped give me advice on how to negotiate the solid ice on the trail that came from melting and refreezing of the snow that had fallen. It was also my longest hiking day at over 18 miles.

3.       Winter Trail Conditions in Springtime – There were winter conditions I have never really experienced backpacking. Like rhododendron full of snow, and when you pass through, they dump snow over you.

Going under the rhodo on the trail made for tough travel

Snow from high above in trees falling like snow bombs on top of you. Then the trail turning to a slushy mess when it began to melt. My feet were soaked and slipped and slid much more even than ice. It made for a very slow, cumbersome travel. What should have been easy hiking turned into a major ordeal.

Now it's all slush, and 2-3 inches worth of it. 

And so too my “schedule” had to change. I did not camp where planned but camped where I needed to. I still was able to make certain rendezvous with family, but had to constantly rearrange plans. So it is with the trail and weather where best laid plans are but aside, and you work out each day as it comes.

But it all passes and great views abound. On Big Bald.

Yes, this was a time for personal observations of what I endured. You never know what a section hike on the AT will bring, and this was certainly a two week adventure I will never forget.


Related Blog:

Observation of a Two Week Appalachian Trail Start

Day Hiking in Winter

Surprise Hike of the Month - December Glory

Who's to say a simple trek in the woods can't be glorious, especially on the heels of a fresh snowfall? Come see what I discovered on my little trail adventure up the Pass Mountain Trail (as you may know, I am endeavoring to hike every trail in Shenandoah National Park) and see what I discover as I climb in elevation.

Walks in snowfall are amazing. Especially if you can make it out right afterwards, when the fresh snow is still clinging to the branches. I did bring along my Yak Trax traction devices, thinking I might need some traction, but never really slipped at all. But I did find out that snow tends to collect on the bottom heels of your shoes and makes you feel like you're walking on high heels. I had to clear them off with my hiking poles fairly often.

Snowfall makes the branches look like elkhorn coral under the sea

Pass Mountain AT Hut - no one had stayed the night, so no tracks anywhere.

The deer found refuge from the storm here, right on the trail. There were leaf piles to keep them warm and deer tracks everywhere

Appalachian Trail heading south toward Thornton Gap in Shenandoah National Park

A Walk in the Snowfall

Hiking Destinations and Tough Decisions

Plowing Tioga Road, Yosemite National Park, late May 2011. They still don't know when the road will open as of June 7th.

Our destination for this summer's hike starting July 7th was slated to be the John Muir Trail, the most scenic trail one can do, spanning the high Sierras in California. We set up for it way back in January through the Yosemite National Park lottery system (which had to be done then to secure a pass to hike at this date) and went on to purchase the airline tickets. 

Then the snows came. And they came. And record snows, according to Mammoth Lake. Still more record snow in March. Some late snow in April. But we stubbornly maintained our optimism. We began thinking in terms of microspikes, ice axes, hiking boots and not trail runners, long gaiters, getting a new tent (which we did), how to survive the water crossings, all the while hoping for blistering spring temps to melt the huge snow pack.

But the temperatures did little. The snow is melting, yes, but ever so slowly.  We had to make a decision soon with our July hike. Hike on what was projected to be miles and miles of snow pack in July (the only month we can do it with our schedules). Or try again next year, take the airline penalty and do something different with our plane tickets next fall?

How it looks right now in the high Sierra country, June 7, 2011

We opted to try again next year.

This summer we have changed to hiking the Long Trail of Vermont. Thanks to the generosity of a fellow White Blaze member, we have the guide book, and I purchased the Long Trail map and End to End guide from Campmor. Plans are being put into motion to salvage a summer of hiking. I still hate to think I will not be out on the JMT this year. That I have to pay fines to move airline tickets and suffer through the Yosemite lottery process all over again next year. These are tough decisions one must make. But I feel we made the right one.