The key to hiking in the winter is to be prepared. It is always better to have some gear but not
need it than need something and not having it.
As an example, on this hike, I brought a few extra pairs of socks. While I did not need to use any, I was
prepared if I had accidentally gotten snow in my boot, stepped in a giant
puddle, or if my feet got too warm and started to sweat. You should also bring a little extra food and
water. Because your body is trying to
maintain its proper temperature, you burn more calories. Finally, when hiking in the winter, you need
to be smart. This kind of coincides with
being prepared. When hiking in the
winter, you probably should be wearing more than shorts and flip-flops. Furthermore, the weather at the start of the
trail could differ greatly from the weather at the summit. Finally, if you have any doubts about your
gear, your physical fitness, or the weather, it is probably in your best
interest to turn around. The mountain
will still be there next time.
With my words of wisdom out of the way, time let you live
vicariously through me! Tim and I had
mentioned hoping to hike around Christmas the last time we went hiking. He was off of school for the holidays and I
had a few days off. It was just a matter
of the weather… which turned out to be nearly perfect! Mid-30’s with little to no wind at the base;
about 20 with a few gusts and some clouds at the summit. You can’t get much better than that! We decided on Mt. Pierce, named after the
greatest president of the United States of America from New Hampshire Franklin
Pierce. The trail we took, Crawford
Path, is the oldest continuously used trail in the United States. Because it was once a horse path used to
bring supplies to the summit of Washington, the trail is a very moderate ascent
covering roughly 3.1 miles with 2350’ elevation gain. Unfortunately, cloud cover set in at about
4100’ leaving us with limited visibility from the summit.
 |
| Hiking in a Winter Wonderland! |
 |
| Summit Selfie |
 |
| Tim posing in front of Mt. Eisenhower (hidden by the clouds) |
 |
| Izzy kitty! |
At the summit, albeit still 10:45am, I enjoyed a delicious
Wolaver’s Oatmeal Stout. Wolaver’s is an
organic brewery related to Otter Creek.
On a cold winter’s mountain top, I couldn’t have asked for a better
beer. This stout is smooth and about as
close to black as a beer can be with hints of chocolate (and Wolaver’s
description says coffee as well).
Nothing like a good, hearty stout to replenish some of the calories lost
en route!
Mount Pierce
Views – 3.5 (Some views during the climb; summit cloudy)
Time – 4.5 (Less than 3 hours round trip!)
Difficulty – 2 (Despite winter conditions, one of the easier hikes I have done)
Beer – 5 (Wolaver’s Oatmeal Stout)
Overall – 4.5 (Great winter hike)
Views – 3.5 (Some views during the climb; summit cloudy)
Time – 4.5 (Less than 3 hours round trip!)
Difficulty – 2 (Despite winter conditions, one of the easier hikes I have done)
Beer – 5 (Wolaver’s Oatmeal Stout)
Overall – 4.5 (Great winter hike)
