Winter is here. My season is over. 😔

I prefer the winter

Not uncomfortably hot

Few people

Few bugs

But yeah, a lot of places are unavailable because of snow and weather

You would likely snicker at what is called “winter” here in the SE US, but winter is my jam! No heat, no bugs, few people…the woods are mine!

There’s a whole lotta Los Padres that is very explorable in the winter time, most of which doesn’t require much in the way of permits. Backpacking is a year-round affair as far as I’m concerned, especially in CA. Don’t even need real winter gear to do it!

My wife and I have had to cancel so many late August/September backpacking trips, here in WA state (due to Forest fire smoke) that we started winter backpacking a couple of years ago-to try to get back trips lost due to smoke. In winter there’s no fire smoke problems, less people, and it is beautiful beyond all measure. If the temps aren’t going to drop below 15 F or so, and if the winds are < 10mph  then we generally go..and have a great time!

Backpacking year-round helps maintain our backpacking level of fitness. By the time spring-time comes, we are tough, strong, and used to carrying heavy packs while using snowshoes. So, in Spring/summer, with lighter packs everything seems much easier! Our sleeping bags are only rated to a 20 degree F comfort level, and in our tent, which has a mostly fabric liner (i.e., it is not all mesh) it is usually about 5 degrees warmer than the outside air. So, our sleeping setup in winter is pretty much the same as in spring/summer/Autumn. I do use X-therm mat in winter/spring, with X-lite in Summer/Autumn.

We don’t hike as far in the winter, as the days are short and snow travel takes more energy (we use snowshoes).

The night time is long in winter, for sure, so, we get a little extra sleep.

It’s an overall win!

Paul S – that is a beautiful campsite!

you can make a fire in the winter.  watch it when it gets dark.  a way to deal with shorter winter days

as opposed to summers when they don’t let you build a fire anymore

We aren’t even in winter yet, here in Fairbanks. Chilly rainy weather requires some planning though. A day hike needs a good thermos of hot tea! I’m hoping to maintain my fitness this year and not let it slide. A marathon last week and a half marathon next week will help. The hardest time is when it’s dark early, and I can’t get away at lunchtime. But there are always stairs…And when I can sneak away, there’s this.

For me, this is a great time in the sierras. Low crowds, no bugs, trees turning color, and generally no or limited snow. This will end for me in a month or two… I gave up hard core snow trips a few years ago.

I still enjoy the winter though: Ventana Wilderness, Henry Coe, etc can be wonderful once the summer heat has passed.