I prefer layers that button or zip, so that I can ventilate a little or a lot, depending on whether I'm panting uphill or breezing downhill in the shade. Hikers should also keep rain gear handy. On my second backpacking venture, I dutifully stuffed rain ponchos into my pack and didn't give them a second thought until I was a mile or so into the Sierra Nevada's Ish Wilderness, where a formerly sunny sky unleashed on my unsuspecting noggin. By the time I dug my poncho from the bottom of my pack, the rivulets streaming down my pants made the effort pointless. But once I got to camp, hot cocoa worked magic in bringing balance back to a shivery, wet world.
Nothing comforts more than warm drinks and chow after slogging through cold days.
When stirring up drinks, try cocoa, Ovaltine, or something yielding calories over coffee or tea. I also pull on a thin pair of scuffed red gloves to cook in the cold, since chores force my popsicle fingers out of cozy pockets. Freeze-dried food or dehydrated meals come in handy on these cooler occasions. Well, culinary creativity won't seem like such a hot idea. But to each her own, and if you can whip up a five-course feast in gusty, freezing weather, then more power to you.