Hiking in the Winter (or Canadian Fall!)

One of the joys of living in Canada is the extended duration during which you can enjoy winter activities. The snow, cold, and ice lasts a long time, letting you get out snowboarding, skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and skating for about 4 to 5 months. The main downside is that it makes hiking a bit more difficult. By about mid-December I can guarantee the snow will likely be too deep unless we get some snow shoes, but that turns it into a different activity entirely! (Not that we don't plan to get snow shoes in the next few months.)

Two of the last three hikes we did had about 2- inches of snow on the ground and the temperature was about -10C. Hiking is still very possible but a few things need to be done differently.

1 - You have to use boots

When the snow get above about a half inch deep, you have to use hiking boots instead of trail runners. The main benefit to this is that the snow won't be able to work its way up and into the area where your foot is. Keeping you feet warm and dry is really important to both the enjoyment of the hike and avoiding blisters and sores.

2 - Poles make and even bigger difference

Once it starts getting a bit slippery, trekking poles go from helping ease the load on your legs and knees from the weight if the backpack you're carrying, to also helping reduce fatigue from trying to keep your core stabilized. If its slippery, you will use more inner thigh and core muscles than normal to keep your legs under control. Over short times and distances this isn't much of an issue, but over 10+ kilometer it significantly increases muscle fatigue. Trekking poles help to put that load on your arms, shoulders and back muscles if used properly. Then you just feel like you've lightly worked your whole body instead of did a double leg day at the gym.

3 - Micro-spikes are not a gimmick

Along with using trekking poles, good quality micro-spikes on your boots will also help reduce fatigue. They help reduce the amount of slipping you feet do, which in turn reduces the load on your body from trying to remain stable.

4 - Thin layers trump thick layers

This may just be a preference thing, but I greatly prefer having 2-4 thin layers on than having 1 or 2 heavy layers on. I have a lot of problems with heat management, in that I will heat up and sweat at even the lightest amount of physical activity. Having more layers means I can gradually reduce the amount of insulation covering me so that I don't keep suddenly changing from too hot to too cold as I remove one or two large layers.

5 - Remember to drink water

The cold really inhibits your desire to drink water when you're out hiking. The problem with this is that you still need to do it! You won't need as much water as if it were warm outside, but you still need more than you normally would while sitting around at home. When its cold out, I aim to drink a liter of water every 8ish kilometers instead of every 4 to 6 kilometers when its hot outside.

With these tips in mind, get out there and try hiking in the snow fall! Its a beautiful sight and you can get an extra month or so out of the hiking season!