GetWinter Hike #2: Mt. Tecumseh

Season's Greetings!

Started at about 9:30 AM and temps in the high 30’s. Hiked through a beautiful winter wonderland! Trail is well packed out. We put on our spikes at the start and wore them all the way up and back. Lots of nice hikers out today. Summit was rather cold and windy. Another great trip with the gang including Dave, Ricardo, and Jim.  Home by 2pm!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Mike and Jon

Join our GetWinter hikes to get you into winter hiking! The hikes get progressively harder leading up to a winter Franconia Ridge Traverse!

This trip's focus is to continue with layering clothes for cold weather hiking. We’ll also be carrying MicroSpikes if we encounter icy conditions. Gather your winter hiking gear for a hike to the summit of Mt Tecumseh, the shortest of NHs 48 at 4003 ft!

You can purchase either Kahtoola MicroSpikes or Hillsounds Crampons from your local outdoor outfitter such as REI or EMS; or online. We will be hiking in early winter conditions at a moderate pace with time to enjoy the scenery. It will be 5 miles with 2200 ft elevation gain. There may be some ice and a coating of snow- light traction devices are mandatory. The hike will take approx. 4 hours. We may hear the snow making machines on the ski slopes.

Please have the appropriate gear/clothing to hike this time of year and the appropriate amount of layers to keep your core body warm. We recommend WINTER hiking boots, MicroSpikes, wool hat, gloves, hand warmers, rain/wind gear, warm layers and NO COTTON. Carry at least 1 liter of water, lunch and snacks.

Winter Hiking Clothing/Gear Tips and Recommendations

Winter conditions will be in effect so this moderate hike is ideal for anyone on their first winter hike. Winter travel offers unique challenges to any hiker and we can provide tips and answer any of your questions during the hike. We are here to help you!

For winter hiking, you are basically wearing the same clothing/gear you did in summer except you need to have additional layers to keep your core body warm, dress in synthetic layers [no cotton], wool hat, and gloves [we highly recommend buying the chemical hand warmers for your gloves]. The only piece of gear you will have to buy is MicroSpikes [Kahtoola is a popular brand], which are essentially cleats that you attach to your boots to prevent falls from black ice encountered on the trail.  

One of the biggest mistakes beginner winter hikers do is overdress. You don’t need a heavy winter jacket since you will be heating up naturally during the hike. Wear thin, insulated layers so you can easily regulate your temperature. If you overdress, you will start sweating and actually make yourself get colder. Assess if your summer daypack is big enough to put your clothes in as you warm up and if not, then that is probably another investment you’ll have to make for this trip.

Winter hiking boots is something you may want to invest in later on, since it helps keep your feet warm, dry and comfortable. Snowshoes will not be needed for this hike, and we rarely use them in general, but are definitely needed to break trail if we recently had any significant snowfall. We like to carry a very small thermos with some sort of hot beverage which is so comforting to drink on a very cold day.

Event Coordinators: Mike Boisvert and Jon Normand