Winter Hiking Winter hiking requires extra precautions because of coldness and potential icy conditions on trails. 1) Do not wear cotton clothing! As the saying goes, "Cotton kills". This is because cotton fibers soak up and hold wetness, and wet clothing greatly increases heat loss from the body. Too great a rate of heat loss leads first to intense shivering and discomfort. If measures to warm up the person are not or cannot be taken, over time, hypothermia will develop. This is a serious medical condition in which the sufferer becomes very sluggish and makes irrational decisions. It can eventually lead to death. Sorry to sound so scary! The solution is easy - wear clothing made of synthetic fibers. This includes pants as well as tops - jeans are made of cotton, so are a no-no. You may think "I don't intend to get wet", but there's always the chance of an unexpected shower or wet snow, and people can slip and fall down while crossing streams on rocks. 2) Temperature decreases and any wind tends to increase as altitude increases. If the hike involves an elevation gain of 1000 feet or more, plan your clothing for colder temperatures and greater wind than given by weather services for the general vicinity of the hike. As always, dressing in layers is the way to go. 3) Icy trail conditions can be extremely treacherous and dangerous unless you equip your hiking boots with added traction devices. These are devices which can be slipped onto your hiking boots whenever conditions require. IF YOU SHOW UP FOR A HIKE AND CONDITIONS ARE ICY AND YOU DON'T HAVE TRACTION DEVICES, YOU MAY BE TURNED AWAY!!! Two types that I know of are MICROspikes and Stabilicers, available at your local, friendly hiking shop. I have MICROspikes and they work well. I've heard Yaktrax do not perform as well as MICROspikes, but do not know if this is true. I highly recommend you go to your local hiking shop and take your winter hiking boots with you, so that proper fit can be ensured before you buy. 4) For hiking in snow above the boot tops, gaiters are highly recommended. These are made of waterproofed, synthetic fabric and wrap around the ankle and lower leg, hooking into the boot laces. They keep snow from getting down into your boots and keep your socks and pant legs dry. 5) A light weight flashlight or headlamp should be part of your gear, especially in winter. Winter's short hours of daylight make it more likely that we could be unexpectedly caught on the trail after dusk. Say, for instance, that a wrong turn or somebody's injury slow us down.