Get in Gear - Deep Cold

-13F Afterglow Lake WI
Image - Michele Besant

Ok, then. After our December winter thaw, here comes some bodacious cold weather. MN meteorologist Paul Douglas wrote in his December 31, 2024 MN Strib column:

"Our mild, melty December will give way to a rude reckoning in January, with a series of character-building cold fronts. Highs will be stuck in the teens by late this week, and next week will bring a few crisp single-digit high days and maybe three or four nights below zero.

That’s not even close to record-setting, but compared to December it will feel like a cold slap across the face. Next week may be the coldest week of the winter. A lack of snow cover will keep us 5-10 degrees “warmer” than if we had snow on the ground, reflecting much of the sun’s energy back into space. Little consolation for snow lovers."

I looked in the mirror, said, "buckle up buttercup" and got ready to break out my really serious cold weather gear for icy days ahead.

Besides some of the inner and outer clothes layers I mentioned a few weeks ago in a cold weather gear recommendations post, I have a couple of other go-to gear items that help me tremendously during frigid hikes. 

Note: colored, bold text has links to specific gear brands mentioned

Warm Skin Lotion
This MN-made lotion creates a great barrier on any exposed skin during cold weather. I use it on my face to protect me from wind and sharp cold. On their website, the folks at Warm Skin write: "Warm Skin® All Weather Guard – Barrier Cream for Skin, Great Cold Weather Protection. Warm Skin is protection for exposed skin, it adds another layer of insulation to your normal protective attire for the prevailing conditions." Some folks use vaseline but this product, with more natural ingredients, is my go-to.

Handwarmers

A few years back, I was a photographer for many of the twice-weekly winter hikes for a hiking club I was in. So I spent some time mitten/gloveless on the trails in low temps. Ever since, my hands have been more sensitive to sharp cold, no matter how good my mittens are. I use two things to help keep my hands warmer:

• Lambs Wool Padding - available in pharmacies and wildly inexpensive, a wad of lamb's wool stuffed in the tip of my mittens keeps my fingertips pretty toasty. The advantage of this padding - all natural, re-usable and a great insulator. and the price is right.
• HotHands commercial handwarmers. These air-activated packets can last up to 10 hours. On really cold days when I will be out for quite awhile, I break them out. That warmth on my fingertips is golden. I use them sparingly because they are "one and dones." I hate to add more to the waste stream.

I also wanted to see what other hikers were recommending for suiting/gearing up against the deep freeze on the Women Who Hike MN Facebook page.  Here are some of their great gear suggestions:

• Rhiana H. - I try to have no exposed skin and wear ski goggles. It helps me so much to not have cold air hitting my eyes!

• Kelly G. - Gauntlet style gloves/taller boots when able. Keeping the area/blood vessels warm above the wrists/ankles improves warmth of the extremities vs shorter gear.

• Tanya H. - Wool wherever possible - scarf, hat, mittens, wristwarmers under the mittens, socks, base layer. Then several light layers over the base layers. For short hikes I do minimal layers with a good coat and ski/snow pants.

• Ellen H. - 32 Degrees makes a good, warm headband that covers your ears. Neck gator, Smartwool Merino wool base layer & socks, Duluth Trading Post Flexipedition fleece lined pants (I find these stretch a fair amount so buy down if between sizes), love my Oboz mid hiking boots and HotFingers gloves. Quality gear isn't cheap but if you take care of it, it lasts a LONG time!!

• Kat L. - I'll have to look into WarmSkin lotion. I make my own beeswax-based skin balm that goes on thick and helps prevent chapped lips, cheeks and nose from wind and cold. It's not warm, tho!

Thanks to the above women for sharing. 

Any other gear we should think about having? Throw your thoughts in the comments section.

And meanwhile, see you on the trails!

-9F view on the North Shore

All images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters