Navigating Above Treeline In Winter

I've been following many of the recent trip reports of incredible hikes in the Northern Presidentials, the links to photos on people's blogs, etc despite pretty foul weather conditions. One of the things that seems glaringly obvious is that any evidence of the trail (footpath, worn areas, cairns and even signs) are not at all visible as winter gets up to speed in these areas. I've perused many photos of areas I'm familiar with the rest of the year and they look nothing like they do now.

So I'm wondering specifically how people are planning these trips and navigating these hikes above tree line. You can't simply count on it being sunny the whole time so you can see where you are at all times and the winds appear to obliterate even the freshest tracks of previous hikers so you're pretty much on your own the entire time.

1) Do you sketch out the hike on a map with compass bearings, etc? What if you get off your waypoints or pre-planned locations?
2) Are you only taking routes you have done many, many, many times before so you are extremely familiar with them?

I assume people are doing more than just heading out there with a big breakfast under their belt and a GPS. I'd love to have someone give me a "walk through" of the steps they take when going out well beyond tree line to summit some of the bigger mountains you find in the Presidentials or Franconia Ridge. I routinely over prepare for all my hikes (map photocopies, estimated times, copy of the weather, trail condition reviews, etc) mostly because I just enjoy the research and planning and it gets me psyched for the upcoming hike. But I'd imagine for this type of venture there a lot of REQUIRED planning steps in order to navigate properly and stay safe. I own and know how to use a compass and GPS but I've never really gone out on a hike following a list of bearings. Not something you really need following posted trails.

My season ending goal is to do a "starter" above tree line experience like Pierce-Eisenhower or Madison to get more exposure to the navigating aspect of it. (I did the Lowes Path to Adams 4 and back down the Spur Path on November 29th of this year. Roughly 2.5 miles above tree line on a crystal clear day about -5 deg F with 5-10mph winds and some snow but nothing like what it is now). I've spent most of the year tweaking my layering, gear choices, etc so I want to dial in on the navigational aspect of these trips now. As always any advice is greatly appreciated.

Still have Jefferson to do but did the same thing for Adams and Madison. We went up in November when there was some snow and then went back in late winter. We went without GPS but overall the group was quite experienced. We had a couple of winter 4K vets, a couple of others who had been up there several times. I think I was one of the newbies with three of four other season trips to these before, When we did Adams in November we went up Lowe's but when we did winter, we did Valley Way which was the way he had done Madison the winter before. Both of these have decent size cairns.

Jefferson I did In November by Randolph Path, with the Cog lot open, I'd look at doing it that way personally. Jefferson and Washington have the most open walking, or I should say when compared to Valley Way approaches for the other two.

Washington I did solo after two November trips and over 8 summer and fall trips on Washington and Monroe. Weather was perfect. Prior years, Washington had been a possible destination but we changed plans and did other hikes. The perfect day came up and people had plans, it was not a planned solo.

You did Liberty, that was a good first winter choice, Pierce is a good 2nd choice. Pierce and Ike need good weather as you could get lost on or by Ike. Other good choices to get used to above treeline include the Kinsmans, (South specifically) Jackson, Carter Dome with Hight & Moriah.from the summer
For Franconia Ridge, IMO, in winter it's easier to get off Lil Haystack in a white out than Lafayette. So I go OBP in winter with the idea of stopping at the hut if bad and double checking again before leaving the scrub above the hut. I want to be sure I can get over to Lincoln in a good window.

Some winter navigating changes from the summer. Where Valley Way leaves or enters the stream bed up high varies winter to winter. Few take the Engine Hill bushwhack on Isolation in Summer but most do in winter. Of course that or the Black Pond bushwhack are not above treeline.

In poor visibility, one can navigate cairn-to-cairn. (I will assume a party of two.) One stays at or near (within contact of) the current cairn and the other follows a vector out searching for the next cairn. If the searcher doesn't find it, he reverses his direction by 180 degrees and returns to the current cairn before trying another vector. (A compass may be useful and/or a rope can be used to guarantee that he can get back to the current cairn. One can also use a "chain" of people, place wands, or drop objects to mark the route as one walks out.) If the searcher finds the next cairn, he brings the rest of the party over to it. This also works in summer fog...

If alone, one can tie a rope/cord to the current cairn and pay it out while searching for the next cairn.

One can often see much farther during short gaps in the fog.

Knowing the general direction of the trail and the topography can be very helpful. Some people also pre-figure the compass headings between landmarks in case they lose the cairns.

There are places in the northern Pressies where the cairns can be buried by drifted snow (eg parts of the Gulfside Tr between Mt Adams and Edmands Col).

On expeditions, wands are often used to mark routes over featureless snow or to mark caches.

One common point of difficulty is finding where trails enter the woods. Look back as you go up and/or mark it with wands (or a GPS waypoint).

Of course, a GPS can be used too, but the above are some pre-GPS methods.

Doug

I would suggest taking a look at that thread in the New England forum regarding which trails are reliably packed out in the winter, and use those trails to get comfortable hiking in the winter. There are many peaks here that routinely get packed out, so you don't need to be as worried about route-finding. Certainly there are places where cairns get buried by windblown snow, but of course you can choose days/conditions where that scenario is unlikely. Certainly weather and conditions can change on a dime, but I think there are some things you can plan for ahead of the time that will make for a better hiking outcome.

Have fun!

Generally I will take reference bearings and make a mental note. Something like the trail goes approximately 160 degrees to an elevation of 4200 ft the curves right to 220 and takes that to the summit. I always supplement bearings with elevations. If the route takes more than 1 turn like the example I give then ill usually jot down the bearings and turn points.

This way I could do the hike without the trail but it is always best to follow the trail or at least know where it is. Especially to find the entrance to the tree cover on the return trip.

if the route does not unfold like my mental image loud alarm bells go off in my head. If the terrain or trail does not follow the image I will give it 100 ft or 200 ft of elevation before starting to take corrective action. But the senses are generally on alert at least a few 100 ft before the turn.

Following your bearing on the climb is moderately important but on the descent it is CRITICAL. Of course this really applies to situation of limited visibility.... If you can see the route any one can do it. Weather changes so it pays to be ready before you need to be.

. I think it is important to know how to get unlost if you travel when there is limited visibility. Because it is so easy to get in a situation where you are not sure of the exact way to go, you should develop skills for finding your way. There are some navigating methods that help. In the end it all returns to terrain association in one way or another.

John H Swanson said:

. I think it is important to know how to get unlost if you travel when there is limited visibility. Because it is so easy to get in a situation where you are not sure of the exact way to go, you should develop skills for finding your way. There are some navigating methods that help. In the end it all returns to terrain association in one way or another.

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Can you expand on that thought?

One idea not yet mentioned is to choose a trail with an obvious route, if it closely follows a ridgecrest then you won't stray far from it while if it zags it's easier to get lost - for example it would be rare to lose the trail from Lafayette to Lincoln but people frequently miss a turn heading down to the hut and wind up in the Lafayette Brook drainage.

Generally I will take reference bearings and make a mental note. Something like the trail goes approximately 160 degrees to an elevation of 4200 ft the curves right to 220 and takes that to the summit. I always supplement bearings with elevations. If the route takes more than 1 turn like the example I give then ill usually jot down the bearings and turn points.

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Yup. Not so big a deal on a sharply defined terrain feature, but a lot of Presies terrain is broad, lumpy cones and ridges, so it's a pretty good idea to get your compass out. Easy to overlook when you're ascending in good visibility, but that visibility can disappear in a hurry.

Also, find out about the terrain traps in the area of the destination peak, what features of landscape and/or prevailing wind cause people to end up there, and take steps to avoid them. People lost on the southern Presies sometimes wind up in the Dry River drainage. People lost on Mt. Marcy often blunder down toward Panther Gorge. Neither is a place you want to end up by accident.

One last thing -- although forecasts are only predictions and mountain weather can change unpredictably, there's much to be said for picking your day. We generally aim to hike our higher peaks in comparatively gentle conditions without big systems moving around.

waypoints at tree line

DougPaul said:

One common point of difficulty is finding where trails enter the woods. Look back as you go up and/or mark it with wands (or a GPS waypoint).

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I always want GPS waypoints on my GPS where the trail enters the woods at treeline for all possible escape trails. It's relatively easily to move off trail above tree line. It's very hard to get through the tress and scrub off trail below treeline.

Out and back hike is almost always lower risk than a loop in winter. As you exit the woods at treeline, save the location as a waypoint on your GPS. Also on a out and back, you can reverse your track on the GPS.

If you are hiking a loop, you'll want to preload the waypoints from a previous hike in summer.

bcborder said:

I always want GPS waypoints on my GPS where the trail enters the woods at treeline for all possible escape trails. It's relatively easily to move off trail above tree line. It's very hard to get through the tress and scrub off trail below treeline.

Out and back hike is almost always lower risk than a loop in winter. As you exit the woods at treeline, save the location as a waypoint on your GPS. Also on a out and back, you can reverse your track on the GPS.

If you are hiking a loop, you'll want to preload the waypoints from a previous hike in summer.

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We used the WMNF trail GPS tracks for a night ski on a poorly maintained wilderness trail. They were a great help at certain difficult spots and should also be useful for above T-line trails. See http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?52139-GPS-tracks-for-NH-4K for info on the tracks.

Doug

DayTrip said:

Can you expand on that thought?

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The general concept can be considered from two perspectives - up close and large scale.

Up close: the general idea is to know when you are off the trail as soon as possible. Sensing the trail and when you are on or off it can be visual but more often by touch. The feel of the thread way on feet and rest of the body will tell you when your off it. The obvious example is a freshly broken trail vs non broken snow. But a more subtle difference can be felt between a broken trail that is covered by two more recent snowfalls. Similar differences in thread way feel exist on forest floor without snow. Now the trick is to feel being off the trail immediately when it happens. Let's say within two or three steps.

Once you are off the trail. You have 4 option. Left right straight ahead or back. If it is just two steps back is best. Sometimes back is best even when you are far off track

Part of getting unlost depends on your ability to decide which of the 4 options you should take.

Up close you'll be looking for the obvious cairns, the less obvious indenting the snow, but also subtle scratches in the snow and ice. Or the lack of snow when it should be there, or broken or clipped flora.

More on the large scale: The decision is often based on reading the location of the trail relative to the topography (terrain). Things such as the location of trail relative to the ridge, a saddle, a stream etc. the term handrail refers to dominant features that can be used for this purpose. similarly I'm thinking should the ground to the left of the trail be uphill or downhill - steep or gradual. Same for the right side. And this awareness is in the back of the mind for each 1/4 mile of the entire route. One can memorize it or carry a palm size topo that you glance at frequently. I find elevations very useful as I previously mentioned because I don't gps.

John H Swanson said:

The general concept can be considered from two perspectives - up close and large scale.

Up close: the general idea is to know when you are off the trail as soon as possible. Sensing the trail and when you are on or off it can be visual but more often by touch. The feel of the thread way on feet and rest of the body will tell you when your off it. The obvious example is a freshly broken trail vs non broken snow. But a more subtle difference can be felt between a broken trail that is covered by two more recent snowfalls. Similar differences in thread way feel exist on forest floor without snow. Now the trick is to feel being off the trail immediately when it happens. Let's say within two or three steps.

Once you are off the trail. You have 4 option. Left right straight ahead or back. If it is just two steps back is best. Sometimes back is best even when you are far off track

Part of getting unlost depends on your ability to decide which of the 4 options you should take.

Up close you'll be looking for the obvious cairns, the less obvious indenting the snow, but also subtle scratches in the snow and ice. Or the lack of snow when it should be there, or broken or clipped flora.

More on the large scale: The decision is often based on reading the location of the trail relative to the topography (terrain). Things such as the location of trail relative to the ridge, a saddle, a stream etc. the term handrail refers to dominant features that can be used for this purpose. similarly I'm thinking should the ground to the left of the trail be uphill or downhill - steep or gradual. Same for the right side. And this awareness is in the back of the mind for each 1/4 mile of the entire route. One can memorize it or carry a palm size topo that you glance at frequently. I find elevations very useful as I previously mentioned because I don't gps.

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Thanks John. That is a great clarification and insight. Appreciate it.

John H Swanson said:

More on the large scale: The decision is often based on reading the location of the trail relative to the topography (terrain). Things such as the location of trail relative to the ridge, a saddle, a stream etc. the term handrail refers to dominant features that can be used for this purpose. similarly I'm thinking should the ground to the left of the trail be uphill or downhill - steep or gradual. Same for the right side. And this awareness is in the back of the mind for each 1/4 mile of the entire route. One can memorize it or carry a palm size topo that you glance at frequently. I find elevations very useful as I previously mentioned because I don't gps.

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It feels like John pulled this paragraph right out of my head.

I would also add a couple of other important ideas... the first I call "great expectations". You should always know what to expect just ahead as you travel while observing the terrain. What is the next upcoming feature that must be there to verify you are heading where you want to go? What do you expect to encounter, say every quarter mile or less, maybe much less. Combine that idea with constant correlation of ALL navigation clues encountered with your topo map, big and small. Include, for example, knowledge of prevailing wind effect on treetops, wind direction of today's weather, sun direction, all terrain features (including subtle change in slope in otherwise "featureless" terrain), and a host of other possible clues. If some item you see doesn't make sense with other clues, don't ignore it - make sense out of it or logically justify why it doesn't at first make sense. Man made objects can certainly change over time, floods and beavers can change the course of streams, but it takes major earthmoving events for large hills and cliffs to change. It is amazing how people can rationalize what is called "bending the map" to put themselves where they are not.

A few other point (or dare I say "tricks")

I find myself scanning the near and distance terrain for navigational clues as I walk. Quite visually distracted from the tread way in front of me. Often if I get off the trail I will know it is to the left or right because 50 ft or 100 ft earlier I saw something off that way which is not visible from my current position. I'll be walking along and I'll see something 100 yards/meters in the distance and I'll make mental note - not sure what is happening near term but eventually I'll bet were over there.

The other "secret" for forested terrain is to increase your data collection by changing the position of your head slightly by moving it to the left or right a few inches. Much like a pigeon moving its head to have depth perception I find myself bobbing and weaving frequently. As one example I recall a one time descending N Hancock in fading light when I found a distance trail blaze by moving my head 4" to the left (it really was to the left). From my previous position it was not visible. Many other successes. So for me this crazy technique is like second nature.

Nessmuk said:

It is amazing how people can rationalize what is called "bending the map" to put themselves where they are not.

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And more than a little fun to watch when the weather is good and there's still plenty of daylight left.

My comments apply more to below treeline winter hikes and bushwhacks since I don't go above treeline on anything but blue bird days. With that in mind, I never hike a route in winter that haven't hiked before. Most of my fall hikes are recon from my winter hikes. I turn around and look back a lot. I am always looking for nature's handrails and backstops.

Hi there DayTrip,
I've put some time in up north, also as a resident and a snow-maker at a ski resort, which means I spent 12hours a day outside in all types of weather on foot or skis. An advantage ,experience wise, to that is that when on the job and at a ski resort, your more likely to continue working in very severe weather with a light backpack or none and some amenities nearbyI've also mountaineered outwest above treeline alot, once for 18 days straight.
I saw some very relevant advice, however i have a different take. When we go into the outdoors,especially ruthless places, we are in an organic place. In winter and above treeline, it becomes especially important that we conduct ourselves in the appropriate organic fashion. That means being in touch with the land at all times, and keeping your body in sync with the earth, which means planning your routes wholesomely, so your settled in before dark, and avoiding night hiking as much as possible. Doing that puts you and your mind on"nature's schedule" and helps you to naturally manifest decisions that don't go against the grain and get into trouble.It also means eating healthy and hearty, especially in the winter. One thing that takes time to learn is that you don't just need calories to heat yourself in the cold, you need potent food with fats, spices and sweet and hearty, full flavors to boost your mental/physiological vitality. This is critical because it helps you maintain more alertness, power and clarity.That becomes very very helpful to reduce fatigue and fatigue related error if your above treeline and the wind is blowing your around. Even when your warm enough, anyone with experience can tell you that a cold hard wind has a way of draining you mentally, especially if it's partially cloudy or very dim,overcast winter lighting, or worse in the clouds. It drains you,blows through you and takes your sharpness and can be very hypnotic. It can also invigorate you and pump your adrenaline and exhaust your ATP quicker. High winds contain large amounts of negative ions which increase serotonin. It can sharpen you up, but it has a windfall of depleting your neurons after, and it also can literally be intoxicating.The higher you go altitude wise, the more negative ions are present also from UV exposure to hydrogen atoms.There's actually studies about infra-sound(below audible range) that occur in windy mountains, and it can have some debilitating effects on people;another story though. So what is this food business?? keep your mind and body robust gives you a mobile fire to bring with you, and that means that if you get into trouble, you will be that much less fatigued and drained to handle decisions as well as the physical task at hand.
These days, people are relying very heavily on GPS and other gadgets, as well as very unwholesome and downright unhealthy foods like energy gels. As a student of medicine, this drives me crazy. Sugar causes inflammation of the spinal cord and brain as well as the entire body and also has what we call in Tibetan medicine a"cooling effect". Too much at onetime is not good for your vitality in the cold. When the sugar wears off, you actually will be colder than before due to mitochondrial depletion,toxins and inflammation which gives your heat away rather than controlling it. Although you do need alot of sugar when you hike in winter, it needs to be You mixed with fats and other foods. Chocolate is better for example. So the bottom line is, you need to eat robust, and take time to heat up foods or drinks when if possible or leave camp in the morning with one or two insulated drinks. A good GORP that has puffy rice puffs in it stays more neutral becasue when it freezes it has alot of air in it, instead of biting into hard frozen stuff. Raisins are good for oxygenation and cardiovascular energy which really heats up your mitochondria and they hold up well even at twenty below zero.Throw some chocolate M n Ms and soft nuts like peanuts or macadamias in there, not almonds. Almonds and cashews are hard on your liver and pancreas and will slow you down. I use chocolate covered cookie sticks also or cookie bits because they have air in them. A little spice in there is good too but avoid alot of processed preservative salt spice mixes. instead get crucial sodium from peanut butter chips and flavored rice puffs. Sodium is crucial in the outdoors because diets outdoors often vacillate between neglecting and overdoing it, but your body wants a little bit ALL day. Include it with pre-cooked bacon snacks, peanut butter chips, and sardines/smoked salmon (only atlantic, if you havent already read about fukushima lately) My understanding is in awhile, polar currents will also contaminate atlantic salmon so keep your eyes peeled. many children in alaska and canada are very ill from eating fish. Eating salts naturally is much more beneficial than ingesting electrolyte drink mixes, BUT they are very handy in between meals or in a hard push.Those tips alone will make a huge difference for you with winter food. Cliff bars especially and power bars are notorious for having toxins in them,comginfrom abysmal companies and are just a terrible thing to eat in winter or at all.

So..... A wholesome routine will keep your circadian clock humming smooth(which means all your body's functions) and robust food will keep you alert and able.
- When you are away from home and routine, it is easy to get unsettled, and the grandeur of the mountains can be distracting, especially when the wind is howling or your tired in a place as alien as above treeline. Eating and living wholesomely, means that you create a grounding little well heated home and carry it with you. That portable powerhouse is what is the actual hidden secret to safer travel in high mountain terrain, not everything else. Thats what keeps you sharp in navigation and aware, in tune with the light and terrain. It's easy to under-estimate, but staying in natures rythms manifests much more efficient decisions. Without that, everything else is meaningless.
- In general, people here in the east get in the habit of making long traverses in winter,partly because there is trails and it seems natural. The cold hard truth is, mountaineers don't normally expose themselves completely for hours on end deliberately. It's just downright foolish. They plan on doing a specific route in a timely fashion, and use the terrain features of rocks and gullies to stay sheltered as much as possible or sun soaked southern slopes to be warm if the slope angle is low. They go above above timberline for an objective, not for 5 objectives, in a place with the worlds worst weather like mount Washington. Yes, getting recency( repeated experience and continuity of it) can make a game changer. Knowing where escape routes are and being familiar with a ridge line and many side trails is helpful, but it fades away with time unless its refreshed or done several times.
- So keep in mind, make an objective, and reach for that objective in a way that connects smoothly to your schedule and being in camp on time before sunset, or at sunset, not after it. Don't make a career out of walking deliberately across huge distances above treeline. make your time above treeline just that "a period of time above treeline". Just simply engaging being very deliberate engenders much better decisions and awareness. Make your time above treeline, a very small part of each day for awhile in the beginning. Doing that allows you to linger just at treeline safely on your way down and enjoy the view for awhile before going to get settled. It even lets you heat up some hot water and enjoy a meal if your lucky. You can sit there and study the ridge-lines, down-wind escape routes and terrain for later or the next trips, while alert with a good snack and hot water. These are the benefits of staying on a wholesome routine, and not doing monumental challenges.

PART 2: - You should first hone your skills at bushwhacking: having to run off a summit when you can't see so well, or it gets ugly, your going to need to know how to handle yourself off trail in thick woods and harsh terrain.That means bringing a set of nylon work gloves with rubber palms to manhandle brush and climb through downed trees and hold trees on steep slopes. I usually bring two pairs to handle the abuse. if its ultra cold, its a good idea to have leather palmed mitts for this task like I do. otherwise you will destroy gloves and could get frozen hands. You should use high quality detailed USGS maps and follow a path of least resistance, and avoid cliff-bound or rugged slopes. counter steep escapes by moving diagonally down and across, but minimize zigzags which can disorient you, unless you need to stay downward to a target/landmark like a drainage. study the escapes and keep them in mind as you travel. strike a balance of going down quickly, but not too steep or fast, which can cost you worse if you make a mistake or reach an impasse. Being skilled at Bushwhacking and off-trail navigation means you might end a stressful escape move with an alternate route to the car and enjoy the walk, while being not prepared, means you might have a continuing ordeal and a very long harsh walk back to the car or rescue or perish with limited food and no electronic reception or battery remaining.
- ALWAYS know the prevailing wind direction(s) which int he whites is the northwest, but ranges from west to north. Thats the cold, high speed winds associated with more clear weather usually, plan your days with this in mind to reduce fatigue and heat loss. generally west wind and northwest wind systems are more stable. if it swings around to north, and especially northeast or worse, east, you know your in trouble or need to stay down low, unless its a rare ocean breeze which has become more common these days. Southwest winds are usually fairly stable systems, but can bring moisture and clash with other systems, if they swing around to south southwest, or south east, they usually are bad. Know the weather, know your escape routes. know where the wind will be blocked and learn how it accelerates over some slopes. Sometimes it can flow so fast down a backside it can be equally bad. that takes plain old experience. the bottom line is, study weather. you should be an amateur meteorologist at the very least.
- USE DEAD RECKONING. even when its good weather, get in the habit of choosing a feature ahead and working towards it.this is important because you want it to be complete habit when the clouds sock you in unexpectedly. Set a leg of journey and complete it.
- Don't get dependent on GPS. personally I dont use them. become proficient at map and compass. practice bushwhacking witha map, and do it at home in a statepark for example. Youd be amazed at how much clairvoyance you can develop in the woods with practice. Your body's DNA deep down knows how to flow in forest and hunt and migrate. use that for your benefit. tap into it with practice.so that when your totally broadsided by a storm, you can revert to that map like habit, like second nature.
- Don't get dependent on following the trail. WRONG MOVE. You need to be dependent on knowledge, knowledge of exactly where you are at all times. That means being skilled with maps, having high-quality maps(not AMC or national geographic, they are dangerous and useless) That means learning your average speed. The mountaineers formula for elevation related speed decay is this: for every 850 feet of elevation gained, an average minimum of 35-40 minutes exists for healthy young robust people at a moderate pace on moderate terrain. Tailor that to your personal speed and internalize it so that you have that internalized when other people change your routine. This will allow you to calculate position or elevation when time is all you have.
- You want to know where you are first, know where the trail is second. Dont obsess on it. if you do, and then clouds roll in, you wont know where you are, you'll only know that your on "that damned trail....somewhere"
- Dont go above treeline alone in winter, period, unless it exceptional weather and its a short time above treeline.
- Learn about magnetic declination, and how it has changed for our area, adn what it currently is.
- I highly recommend going and traveling out west on a short outward bound course doing some backpacking and mountaineering. One of the most overlooked skills in the wilderness is confidence. not arrogance, but wholesome confidence. nothing spells safety like decisive choices. even if your not on trail or you loose it, what does it matter if you know where you are and where your going?? even if its only 300 feet stretches at a time.....there is no substituent for experience, and taking yourself outside the normal routine and transplanting into an outdoor awareness skills group with strangers will teach you things about yourself and other people that will be invaluable in dangerous situations or bad weather. You may also enjoy it!! Some people praise NOLS, but outward bound has a subtle but highly spiritual component which only an alumni could attest to. there is specific clauses and provisions to foster it, that NOLS does not have. Colorado outward bound and Washington state school has highly technical courses and great instructors that rival NOLS anyday. Do it in the summer when you can push it more and extract the essence of learning hard. make sure it includes snow travel, or "snowschool" That will give you an understanding of being above treeline alot, and understanding the language of exposure. DO NOT substitute an AMC workshop for a trip like this. Later if you want, you can take another trip in winter. Those trips are expensive but I cannot praise them enough. Its not just a hiking investment. It really will teach you things about yourself that bring you unforeseen peace.
- Do get to know a place in the off-season if possible. Doing Moosilauke is one thing, but doing a walk from Eisenhower to Monroe is another, and the northern Presis in a traverse in winter is just overzealous and alot or rushing and stomping, which leaves no room for injury or emergency, whereupon any escape would be hemmed in by darkness. If you do decide like many to do these things, start with that organic base i talked about first, and then build off of it. Pour a nice solid foundation which you can walk all over later. Just dont forget to stay grounded an maintain that. Don't diverge from whats wholesome.
- DON'T get sucked into going with others to do a trip you normally wouldn't do yet. thats not the way to learn and you could be a weak link in a mishap or be too focused on keeping up to enjoy things fully. I reiterate, Dont underestimate the value of confidence. Make it your own victory before , during and afterwards. Cultivate your own skills. there is no joy like autonomy in the mountains. Go when your ready and able, and experienced gradually, organically evolved.
- Last but not least, trust me. I know what the hell I'm talking about, thoroughly. It's alot easier to get yourself down off one mountain in bad whether than it is to try and remember 5 escape routes per each summit of 5 summits on a traverse. Make concrete goals or one goal, and be content with that. If you want to get into doing multiple peaks, add an additional overnight, rest and eat well. Do it right, one or two at a time, wholesomely. Don't do the "fit it all in routine". The cairn following weekend warrior attitude with most of these folks here would kill in the big mountains on other continents, and the presidential have worse weather, even when it's sunny.....do the math for yourself. The weekend warriors get away with crazy jaunts, but when mother nature throws the wildcard, they suffer and sometimes die. But the guy who is already in camp sipping hot soup watching the stars or listening to the wind roar on the summit is the real warrior....
- invest in a good pair of insulated leather mountaineering boots with a rocker-ed sole, or uninsulated with a glove leather interior which is warm and doesnt freeze.You can also use insulated insoles from SOLE company, cut 3/8 inch foam in and beat it down a little around the house, or even make homemade partial over-boots by cutting up neoprene boogieboard socks or super gaiters. using high quality leather boots and not plastic will allow you to walk more natural, fatigue less, and keep a natural contact with the ground and therefore the mountain, which will help promote the relationship with the mountain and land you want, to harvest the innate, preternatural "terrestrial awareness" we all have inside us. Stay away from Goretex if you can. opt instead for 3 coats of properly applied wax and a first sock of coolmax/merino and a second of merino. This will let your feet breathe, and you will be a king. Scarpa has some nice boots like that as well as Lowa, but I prefer Scarpa.
- If that doesnt get you going, I dont know what will!!

StaggerLee21 said:

Last but not least, trust me. I know what the hell I'm talking about, thoroughly.

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This makes my top 5 favorite quotes of 2014.

John H Swanson provided some really good advice. It comes from experience, reading the signs of what's a trail, even when it's covered with snow, and what's not the trail.

My word of advice to add is to not be afraid to turn back when you think you might be getting into a situation that is beyond your experience and current abilities. It will be there next time, and you will have more experience then.