Date: 2003-11-24
To: Cold Weather Gear Review and Trip Report
Miles today: 0.0

.Okay, I'm going to do a trip report as a way of doing several gearreviews at once. I want to write about cold weather gear because it'sfresh on my mind. I went out hiking in that bitter Thanksgivingweather. Not being a snow person particularly, the hike was, ummmm,interesting.****To digress for a moment:I know folks have been asking for reviews of the Pocketmail Composer.I'll do a long one, I promise, but life has been a bit topsy-turvy oflate. The short version is if you are planning to keep an online journal,get a PM unit (google it in), sign up for either a year of theservice, or two 3-month periods, BE FANATIC ABOUT KEEPING IT AND ITSLCD SCREEN DRY, and just start using it. There IS a learning curve,which is why I would suggest getting the year of service. Start filingyour trailjournals.com entries via the pocketmail, perhaps even withthe help of your future transcriber, so the both of you have theprocess down pat. You'll have enough other stuff to worry about comeJanuary/February, trust me.PS DON'T set it up to have your home e-mail come through Pocketmail.You'll toss the device in the trashcan if you do, or your fellowhikers will after you tie up the one phone for hours. Have a spouse orfriend forward you any important, single messages. Get at the rest viaWebmail at library computers along the Trail.Some folks but the cheaper, older Sharp or TM models on e-bay, but i have noexperience with those (I think Wench had one, and you might e-mail herthru her guestbook). I'd heard they don't work on cell phones, nor arethey supported any longer. I will say the PM customer service isenough to make you pull out your hair! Aaaargh! But it is something,at least.*****Enough about that for now. I'd like to comment on my fantasticsleeping bag, the Western Mountaineer Versalite. http://www.backcountrystore.com/store/WES0006.html It was by far my most favorite piece of non-hardware gear. I don'thave a single complaint, and much praise. FABULOUS bag!I also want to explain cold weather systems and routines. This is justmy system, it works for me. There are other systems out there and,like water systems/treatment or hiking kitchens, I urge you toexplore them all and select what works best for you..The lead-in is my 85-yr father fell several weeks ago and fracturedhis shoulder. I've been up there (dad lives below Asheville) alot.Things have gone downhill since the fracture, with little strokes andlots of angina, totally bedridden. He's just entered Hospicecare.Anyway, with good 24-hr. help finally in place, I was free in themountains for a couple days. I needed some serious R&R to clean out mylungs, so I met south-bounding friend (the backward kind) to hike afew days from Partnership shelter at Mt. Rogers, over the GreysonHighlands and Whitetop into Damascus. After a giant breakfast in town (since I had a car), we set out fromPartnership shelter in southern Virginia. It was the morning afterThanksgiving, the biggest hunting day of the year. Saw lots of huntersand heard lots of shots. Oooops, I'd forgotten this was A Big Day, buthad my blaze orange ATC silnylon pack cover on anyway (available atthe App. Trail Conference website).Hunters weren't even my major concern - the cold was the biggestplayer. The temps were dropping. No sooner had we stepped out fromunder the shelter's awning, than the leaden skies opened up and it...began... to... ...rain. Sigh. I hate that.Well anyway, there was no turning back now with the game afoot, a fullpack on my back and an overly-optimistic 2,000-calorie breakfast under my belt. So we mushed, or rather slushed on. By noon, the temps were diving steeply, and the wind picking up. My 15-cent Hefty cinch-sack rain skirt got a good workout, and was thecause of much envy (after the usual and predictable bag-ladycomments). But my legs were dry, ventilated and wind-proof. (By theend of the day, I had a taker for my extra trash bag).At 1pm, the rain drops were now fattening with ice. This is probablythe most critical time for hikers, 33-degree temps and rain.Hypothermia is a serious condition, and must be respected. While hypothermia can happen at 50-degrees in the summer, if you getwet from either sweat or rain at 33 degrees, it's time to make somechanges - while you still can. Hypothermia affects not only coordination but judgment, and I suggestdoing some research on it before setting out. Here's a start:http://www.hypothermia.org/ andhttp://www.sarbc.org/hypo1.html Watch out for it in your hiking comrades too. My experienced friendChainsaw warns to look out for the 'umbles - stumbling, mumbling andfumbling. His suggestion is to ask a hypothermia suspect to untie andtie their shoe. If they can't, it's time to get them warmed up fast. By the time we stopped for lunch in a decrepit Virginia cow barn, theroof leaking on more places than not, the slush had turned to snowblowing on a slant. It was a relief to get out of the wind, even ifthe roof dripped a payload on us. We ate lunch to keep our metabolismfired up. Even though I knew it meant hardship later on for a coldweenie, that snow blowing across that cow field was awfully pretty.By afternoon, the snow was sticking to the Trail and rhododendrons andthe wind grew fierce. Sustained 30 mph winds were predicted for theevening,but it seemed as if they had stepped up their schedule. The snow wasblowing purely sideways now. Up on the ridge of High Point, conversation was futile for the roar ofthe wind. It tore the sound right out of your mouth. It was a littlehard to see too, with ice pellets being flung into the corner of myeye. Elemental. We were being nailed. Though I was a little uneasy,given the force and bitterness of the gale, it was a kick too beingbattered about on that ridge top. WaHOO! You DO know you're alive,afterward.What I wore - I had on a synthetic long-sleeved shirt, and a thinsynthetic REI zip-neck fleece (their non-bulky light expeditionweight, a very good value for the money and what I used for a fleecelayer my whole trip).Over that I had a synthetic-fill vest, nothing fancy. This I couldopen when climbing for ventilation. Same with the zip-neck. You don'twant to be sweating much in cold weather, yet on climbs you will, evenin extreme weather. So at the bottom of the hill, start ventilating.Before the heat builds up.Another way of ventilating is hat-on, hat off. We lose a huge amountof heat through our heads. Use this principle to your advantage.Gloves on-gloves off can help too, as can pushing up one's sleeves toexpose the wrists. These are all simple adjustments that can be donewithout breaking stride. I stuff my hat and gloves inside thezip-neck. I carry two pair of gloves, a light liner glove and a heavywool pair. My liner gloves got soaked, and I was sorry i didn't havemy Moonbow sil-nylon mitt covers http://www.moonbowgear.com/ along to keep them dry. Big mistake in this wet-freezing weather.Finally, in gales like these you'll need a wind break. I used my O2Rainwear raincoat, http://www.rainshield.com/ the same one I thruhiked with this year. I've also used Frogg Toggsand Provent raincoats, both are excellent. The O2 is just cheaper.On the bottom, I used my handy 15-cent Hefty cinch-sack rain skirt tocut the wind. By the way, if you don't like the idea of wearing a trash bag skirt oryou just like to spend money on gear, several manufacturers are makingsilnylon kilts or chaps. Contact the Bluff Mountain Outfitter in HotSprings (phone number in all guidebooks), http://www.visitnc.com/mnts/mnts_related_pick.asp?propertyID=6304 I know they carry and ship two brands, Etowah being one maker. Moonbowgear also makes chaps. You can use rain pants too, but you'll over heat on climbs and alsohave to sit (where?) and take your shoes off to remove them - unlessthey have leg zippers, in which case they'll weigh alot more than the1-oz. rain skirt. The wind layer is also an extra warmth layer, andvapor barrier.Although I had dressed for the weather, the wind was freezing the sideof my face. Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. I finallystuck a baggie on my windward cheekbone to cut the wind and icyknives. It worked great. Now I was a bag lady from tip to toe. Noshame!I happen to hike with a long scarf, just a street scarf. I find itvery handy to adjust while hiking, and it keeps my neck and ears warmwhen I don't wear a hat. I carry a wool toboggan hat too, it's justthat the scarf works so well to both protect and ventilate whilemoving. Plus, it's so dashing, I look mysterious like Greta Garbo, ha!A balaclava is probably a useful thing to have, but I didn't carryone, preferring the ventilation versatility of the scarf, personally.It's shocking how much stride, hill-push and lungs a (former)thruhiker can lose in 10 weeks (has it BEEN that long? ...sob!). Myhips also ached with a shocking fierceness, and I hope thelong-distance hike has not done a damage to those large joints. On the good side though, my knee strength held; I had not a whimper ofpain there. Da Feet were good to go too.Hiking will keep you warm. When you get to camp, you will chill downfast. Be forewarned, and changed into zip-locked dry and warmerclothes immediately. Do you camp chores quickly and then get in yoursleeping bag. Your sleeping is your primary survival defense againstcold. That's why I strongly suggest putting your gear money here, andgetting the very best bag you can afford. The WM Versalite, forexample, is also light (2 pounds) and has just been rated down to 15degrees, since the new models have a new neck baffle. Mine doesn't,and this cold sleeper has taken it down far lower than that, withclothes and a tent.Anyway, we cut our first day short and holed up, out of the wind inRaccoon Branch shelter below the ridge. Since we were the only onesthere, we set the tents up in the shelter, for additional windprotection andwarmth.I quickly changed to dry clothes (aiiiYA! chimiCHANGA!) and did theDance of the Chilly Chilly Hiker to warm them up. The intermittentspring at Raccoon Branch was flowing strongly, so water was grabbed,cooked with, drunk, tea made and then dumped lest our water bottlesfreeze solid and force us to tote useless ice blocks for days. If youcarry a tube and Platypus, dump them too. The sip-tube is useless whenweather is freezing. I use cheap (free) wide-mouth 20-oz Gatoradebottles, or sometimes (in summer) a super-light Nestles Quik ChocolateMilk liter bottle.A short privy stop (YIKES! WHOSE idea was it to put a METAL toiletseat in there!) to briefly expose parts best not exposed to wind-freetemps now in the mid twenties (lord knows what the wind chill was),and then it was into my beloved Western Mountaineering 20-degree bagfor the night. Drink all you can to hydrate yourself WHILE HIKING (and pee whenyou're really warmed up from hiking) because once you get in that warmbag, you'll want to cut down a bit on liquids. Guys have the luxury ofusing a pee bottle (ask around) but i have not found a mistake-prooffemale system yet. So, it's out into the cold.As I said earlier, in extreme weather, I extend the range of my bag bysleeping in a tent (adds warmth) and sleeping with all my clothes on.This WM bag is a high-lofting sweetheart of a bag, says this coldsleeper. It is stuffed with 850-plus fill down, the fluffiest. Cheaperbags will use a lower-fill down that is more feather-like, and nottrap as much air for insulation. They are also heavier and don't packdown as well, taking up pack space.To sleep in, I had on a second synthetic long-sleeved shirt, a thinfleece, my vest, and a super Moonstone jacket. Sorry, I don't rememberthe model. I like having synthetic upper body wear to back up my down bag, incase the down gets wet. But I'd have to spill something on it, or wetthe bed - my down stayed dry the whole time on the AT this extremelywet year, the outer covering at most getting damp. Be sure an pack adown bag in a waterproof stuff sack. I also used a tough trashcompactor bag as a pack liner, something I'd recommend for anyone.Don't fear down, just learn to use it wisely.I also used a fleece neck thingie (a ring of fleece). Boy, does thatgenerate the heat! I usually have to take it off after an hour or twoin the bag. Really a lot of heat power for very little weight. Folkshave pointed out to me that a balaclava could function as hat, scarfand neck thingie, so that's something you might want to consider. Ijust like the versatility of my system for me, and it doesn't weightmuch more.A pair of thin fleece tight or pants on bottom. A hat and gloves to bed if really cold.You've surely heard "cotton kills" since it doesn't dry fast, and that includes underwear. Wear synthetic and change it too on reaching camp.Well, I'd forgotten about the 14 hours of cold dark thing. I mean,that's a LONG night in a shelter! Of course, thruhikers go out likeshot dogs, so after tossing and turning a good while (ah, shelterfloors, how soon we forget) I settled down resignedly for a longwinter's nap.Well, that wind roared all night like an animal. It was pretty dire. Even though my bladder pled with me for relief near dawn, I clampeddown with uncharacteristic control and stayed burrowed in my bag untilthe sun came well up and hot coffee was drunk in quantity (forcing theissue, actually).Morning temps were in the low teens. The snow had stopped but the windnever did. It was pretty brutal. What? Me get out of the bag and hike? Uhhh, you go first...What's the wind chill for upper teens and 30 mph sustained winds?Actually, I will say I wasn't the only one who holed up at RaccoonBranch the next day - no one wants to tackle bare Greyson Highlandsunder extreme windchill conditions. You know it's bad whenmileage-driven thruhikers hole up too.The next day, I said aloud "You know, this thruhike thing, you mayhave to do this, but THIS HIKER just "skimming the cream" these days,as my good buddy Chief would say." Funny though, I wasn't the only one to bail out at Dickey Gap for agood town breakfast (mmmmm, real brewed coffee...).Anyway, it was decided to use this bitterly cold day to shuttle ahiker'struck down to Hot Springs, which we did. My feet nearly froze on the way into the gap. My wet shoes had icedinto concrete perfection, which did not especially conform to my lumpyfeet. I should have kept them in my sleeping bag, in a plastic bag. Ihad not brought my vapor barrier socks along either, since snowwasn't predicted when I packed. I didn't even have along simple thin produce bags, which I had hauledall the way to Katahdin this year, for pity's sake. So my formerly frost-bitten toes were getting a bit frigid, and hikingdownhill to the gap didn't generate enough heat to warm up the digits.Only in the restaurant, after I removed my shoes, did the littlebuggers rewarm. Don't forget your vapor barriers if you havefrost-bitten toes and hike in shoes. Even a bread bag or newspaper bagwould have helped.Saw tracks of a small bear in the snow, possible hog damage (greatrooting of earth, cloven tracks - are there loose gogs in Virginia?),and lots of wild turkeys - including a whitish-grey tom in a group ofsix dark turkeys.Stayed at Elmers in Hot Springs, he was cranky that night because wedidn't have "reservations" (c'mon, Elmer, the place was empty but forone other hiker). But Elmer warmed up in the morning, and rememberedme from the spring, and talked a little Edward Abbey. I did a short, and sunnier, two-day section back intoDamascus from Tennessee 91, near the newish ATC cranberry bogpurchase. It was still cold, and a bit airish, with plenty of snowlying about, but nothing like the windy tough sledding afterThanksgiving. Another good meal at The Erwin Burrito and a stop byMiss Janet's tosay howdy on the way back to dropping silly southbounders back on theproper trail.I came home to dad battered, hip-shot and weather-beaten, but fullerin spirit. I'll be going back up to my dad's sometime next week. I might slip ina Max Patch hike if the schedule permits. Or, I might not.In summary, here are Shoe's Baker's Dozen Cold Weather Tips. If youhave others, pass them along.1) Stay hydrated and well-fed while hiking. Don't let your blood sugarfall. You'll not want to drink a whole lot in cold weather, but do soanyway. Warm your water, if necessary to drink it. You won't want todrink much right before bed.2. Adjust and monitor your core temperature constantly. Stay as dry aspossible while hiking by ventilating BEFORE a climb. On the downhills,bundle up. 3). Keep dry an inviolate set of camp clothes in a zip-lock. Changeimmediately upon making camp. You will chill down fast when nothumping weight, hiking. DON'T hike in your camp clothes. If yourhiking clothes are wet, put them in a zip-lock and keep them in yoursleeping bag, to avoid clothes-sicles. If only a little damp, tossthem in the bottom of your bag and they will dry overnight (the ATclothes dryer). 4). If cold in camp, do a few jumping jacks. Don't worry what anyonewill think. Use this as an opportunity to play the fool and make yourcompanions laugh, which also warms the heart. ;-)5). Do camp chores quickly and then get right in your bag. Pee beforeyou do this (trust me on this one). Buy the best bag quality possible,as your main survival gear. Better to have too much bag, which you canventilate, than not enough, is my humble opinion.6). If you get really wet, change and then consider making a fire.This can be tough with wet wood, which is why I carry an emergencyEsbitt tablet at all times. Purell hand cleaner (alcohol-based) or alittle precious fuel can help get things started too. Don'tunderestimate the power of a fire to dry and cheer. You won't feellike making fires while thru-hiking, after the first few times. But inan emergency, a fire can benefit much and many.7). Stoke the internal fires in camp by drinking warm beverages. Carrya little extra stove fuel in cold weather, in case you get trapped. Afew uncaffeinated tea bags are light items to carry too (peppermint ismy favorite). Hot tea water is a great heat generator. So is hotchocolate, but it's heavier. It does provide extra calories tho. Eat before bed to provide calories for warming.8). Carry and use wind protection. Have a hat, gloves and wind layer HANDY (not in the pack, where you'llbe tempted to just say "awww, screw it, I'll just keep walking"), anduse them. Wind will strip your body heat fast, as will dampness.9). Dump out your water before retiring. The springs won't freezeovernight, but your waterbag will. Blow out your filter, if you useone, so the element doesn't crack from the expansion of freezingwater. That will render it useless. Some folks pour boiling water in asmall nalgene to keep them warm at night. I have done this, but nevertrusted the seal, so stopped doing it. If your bag gets wet, you arescrewed.10). Don't cook in a way that can set your tent on fire. Withoutshelter, you are screwed. A guy recently died this way, of exposureafter his tent went up in flames.11). Layer, layer, layer!12). Test your sleep systems out this winter, by sleeping on yourporch, or in the back yard. That way you can bail out to the house ifthings don't work out, an option not available in the woods. KNOW yoursystem!13). Enjoy the cold, don't fear it. Learn it and respect it. It is abeautiful, unforgiving time. You will feel deeply alive for havingco-existed, and that's a feeling worth cultivating.I'm sure I've forgotten some important stuff, but you'll discover itfor yourself if you use this winter to test out your gear. Good luck!FrozeShoeGA-ME '03"just skimming the cream now..."