Since age 21, I have stopped hiking in the winter. I had hypothermia twice. Same scenario: climbing a steep trail, wet clothes, high winds and sleeting sideways.
Both times, my hiking partner noticed I was shivering hard, stumbling and incoherent. He put up the tent, stripped off my wet clothes, and got into a sleeping bag naked with me. Poured hot tea down my throat. Made me eat candy for energy. I was able to hike out on my own.
“I have the insulating capacity of a grasshopper,” I quipped. “I don’t hike in the winter.”
As a small, heat-producing person, with high exertion I sweat heavily. Even with wicking fabrics, my shirt gets soaking wet which then freezes. Putting a down jacket over a wet shirt doesn’t work. The last time I did this, I was chilled to the core. The next day, my core was deeply chilled until noon when I ate hot soup.
In 2017, it finally occurred to me to change into dry clothes while hiking. Why didn’t I think of that before? Now I carry extra clothes in my pack. And change into a dry shirt.
Last winter, I continued hiking on snowshoes and micro-spikes. I got a warmer, hooded Mountain Hardwear Stretch-Down jacket. The Q-Shield 750-down does not compress when wet. Love that jacket. I'm finally warm.
Winter hiking is a joy! The woods are quiet and beautiful in the winter.
Animal tracks are amazing in the snow. It is fun to see who lives there. We saw where a large owl had swooped down, tussled with a mouse, and pushed itself aloft with two thrusts of its wings, dragging its tail feathers.
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