- No bears! (And you can clearly see the tracks of other animals, so you know who else is in the area.)
- No mud!
- No crowds on trails!
- No forest fire smoke!
- No need to sunblock your entire body; just sunblock your face because everything else will be covered!
- No leaves on the trees interfering with visibility; you’re less likely to take the wrong fork in the trail!
- Photos often turn out nicer than in summer! (Many winter days are slightly overcast and the light is diffused.)
- You get to slide down the hills on your bum instead of jogging down and destroying your aging knees or crushing your toes!
- When you’re tired, you can lie on your back in a clearing and be exquisitely cushioned by the snow!
- You get interesting new trail snacks: holiday cookies!!! A granola bar will freeze and become impossible to chew, so you might as well enjoy a nice shortbread that will easily crumble in your mouth, especially if you chase it with a thermos of hot tea/coffee/cocoa.
Highways in my region are usually treacherous, so I tend to stay on trails in and around my city instead of driving to the mountains, but it’s nice to get to know the plants and animals on my local trails so intimately. And it’s nice to get a break from the travel-planning, campsite-booking, and packing that eats up so much time in summer.
I love winter, the sun glinting off fresh snow is unbelievably beautiful and I look forward to it, in fact the mountains are more beautiful in winter than any other season so I make sure to have 2-3 overnight trips to the parks. I also love looking at the architecture of bare trees, it fascinates me. I hike or snowshoe depending on the trail conditions. The only thing that makes me sad is occasionally having poor driving conditions.
Winter hikes are fantastic:
- No bugs!
- No bears! (And you can clearly see the tracks of other animals, so you know who else is in the area.)
- No mud!
- No crowds on trails!
- No forest fire smoke!
- No need to sunblock your entire body; just sunblock your face because everything else will be covered!
- No leaves on the trees interfering with visibility; you’re less likely to take the wrong fork in the trail!
- Photos often turn out nicer than in summer! (Many winter days are slightly overcast and the light is diffused.)
- You get to slide down the hills on your bum instead of jogging down and destroying your aging knees or crushing your toes!
- When you’re tired, you can lie on your back in a clearing and be exquisitely cushioned by the snow!
- You get interesting new trail snacks: holiday cookies!!! A granola bar will freeze and become impossible to chew, so you might as well enjoy a nice shortbread that will easily crumble in your mouth, especially if you chase it with a thermos of hot tea/coffee/cocoa.
Highways in my region are usually treacherous, so I tend to stay on trails in and around my city instead of driving to the mountains, but it’s nice to get to know the plants and animals on my local trails so intimately. And it’s nice to get a break from the travel-planning, campsite-booking, and packing that eats up so much time in summer.
This is such a good and thorough list. Thank you for sharing!
I love winter, the sun glinting off fresh snow is unbelievably beautiful and I look forward to it, in fact the mountains are more beautiful in winter than any other season so I make sure to have 2-3 overnight trips to the parks. I also love looking at the architecture of bare trees, it fascinates me. I hike or snowshoe depending on the trail conditions. The only thing that makes me sad is occasionally having poor driving conditions.
We could do an entire entry on the sun/snow/light in winter. So beautiful!