Winter Survival Tips: Cold Hiking Conditions
With so many months out of a year being cold and downright frosty, some outdoor enthusiasts cannot help but take a nice winter hike. However, the unexpected can always happen to even the most expert-level hiker. Whether one is making the trek in the cold wilderness for the first time or the thousandth, the following tips should never be overlooked:
- Know where you are going and what you are doing. What is the geography and environment like? Make plans according to the terrain, weather and equipment. Plan your route and make sure someone back home what these plans are.
- Maximize your warmth. Keep your head covered at all times as not doing so can make you lose 40-45% of your body heat. Keep your neck, wrists, and ankles covered as well.
Other tips top keep warm, which were adapted from the U.S. Army Survival Manual include:
** Keep your clothes clean
** Do not get overheated
** Layer your clothing and wear them loosely
** Keep your clothes dry - Don’t panic.
- Always think ahead: set up camp early; make sure you have enough firewood. Thinking ahead about little things like this can help things seem a little easier.
- Do not travel in a blizzard or whiteout conditions: it is hard to judge the terrain in these conditions.
- Be careful when crossing ice: lay flat and crawl across instead of walking.
- Do not travel in deep snow if possible. If one does have to travel in deep snow, do not travel over bodies of water that are snow-covered or in areas that look prone to avalanches.
- Do not give up hope.
Surviving in the cold is one of the harder things stranded hikers have ever had to endure. The cold can weaken a person’s ability to think clearly, numbs the body, and is very unpredictable. Using all of the tips you have learned about hiking safety and adapting them to cold weather conditions can be the difference between life and death.
More winter survival tips:
Oregon Live Article
DLK Article: Five Winter Hiking Precautions
