Snowshoeing AAR
What did I learn?
General. Snowshoeing is harder than hiking. It’s hard for me to tell exactly how much harder so far as this was a steep uphill climb to the summit that was really hard. Going back down though went super fast, and was very easy, so up and down hills would average the really hard and really easy out. Being in the snow at night is much different than in the woods at night. Everything is white and reflects light. It’s quite easy to see, and navigate without extra lights, but they make things that much easier.
Layers. You are cold when you are standing still and hot when you are moving. Layers, layers, layers! After the first couple hundred yards, you need to stop and strip off some of your layers. If you begin to sweat, you need to do something, because when you stop you will freeze. Winter hiking is a skill in layers management. When you are shopping don’t get one of those all in one jackets; you want to get a shell, and then the other appropriate layers, so you can configure them in a multitude of ways instead of all or nothing. It amazed me how quickly all your heat vanished when we stopped for dinner.
Boots. I used my regular summer hiking boots with extra socks. While I technically survived, I would make sure to get boots more suited to what I am doing in the future. I had not broken my boots in with two thick socks, and they were not waterproof. This quickly led to wet feet, and huge blisters. While I knew I was forming blisters, I didn’t stop to take care of them, so a lot of that is my fault. It was not debilitating on the trip, but I now have Neosporin and duct tape on them, and may not be wearing regular shoes for a while.
JetBoil. This thing is the dog’s tits! I set up it up in the snow, it was a little finicky at first, but you warm some water, pour it in the cup, and then set the tank in it and it works much better. I had fixed, consumed, and cleaned my mac-and-cheese before some of the others using the more traditional pot-and-stove setups had even gotten water to boil. If you are eating freeze dried or something or cooking where warming water is the main part of cooking, the JetBoil is for you. It’s a stove designed to do one thing, and do it the best.
Trekking poles. I had never used trekking poles before. They were helpful in this case, and very light. I am not sure how much I would like them in normal hiking, but they are worth looking into. On this hike they saved me from a couple of near spills.
General. Snowshoeing is harder than hiking. It’s hard for me to tell exactly how much harder so far as this was a steep uphill climb to the summit that was really hard. Going back down though went super fast, and was very easy, so up and down hills would average the really hard and really easy out. Being in the snow at night is much different than in the woods at night. Everything is white and reflects light. It’s quite easy to see, and navigate without extra lights, but they make things that much easier.
Layers. You are cold when you are standing still and hot when you are moving. Layers, layers, layers! After the first couple hundred yards, you need to stop and strip off some of your layers. If you begin to sweat, you need to do something, because when you stop you will freeze. Winter hiking is a skill in layers management. When you are shopping don’t get one of those all in one jackets; you want to get a shell, and then the other appropriate layers, so you can configure them in a multitude of ways instead of all or nothing. It amazed me how quickly all your heat vanished when we stopped for dinner.
Boots. I used my regular summer hiking boots with extra socks. While I technically survived, I would make sure to get boots more suited to what I am doing in the future. I had not broken my boots in with two thick socks, and they were not waterproof. This quickly led to wet feet, and huge blisters. While I knew I was forming blisters, I didn’t stop to take care of them, so a lot of that is my fault. It was not debilitating on the trip, but I now have Neosporin and duct tape on them, and may not be wearing regular shoes for a while.
JetBoil. This thing is the dog’s tits! I set up it up in the snow, it was a little finicky at first, but you warm some water, pour it in the cup, and then set the tank in it and it works much better. I had fixed, consumed, and cleaned my mac-and-cheese before some of the others using the more traditional pot-and-stove setups had even gotten water to boil. If you are eating freeze dried or something or cooking where warming water is the main part of cooking, the JetBoil is for you. It’s a stove designed to do one thing, and do it the best.
Trekking poles. I had never used trekking poles before. They were helpful in this case, and very light. I am not sure how much I would like them in normal hiking, but they are worth looking into. On this hike they saved me from a couple of near spills.