Getting outside my comfort zone, Paddy Creek Wilderness. December 2024

That’s the last picture from this trip. I arrived back at the trailhead at four twenty, around forty minutes before sunset. In total, three days, two nights, 18.7 miles, and 1,700 ft. climbed.

And by the way, the sunset proved to be spectacular as I drove home.

Note: None of the links below are affiliate links.

What Worked

• Shelter. I took my winter tarp, which has doors, and it worked well to keep the wind out and the heat in.
• Clothing. My standard winter set up was fine and kept me warm. My feet were fine in the sandals, and I had borrowed a pair of gloves from Ginger (I’ve misplaced mine somewhere).
• Food and Cooking. My Fancee Feest alcohol Cat Can stove worked flawlessly at all temperatures. I took my wood stove but didn’t use it except as a base for the Fancee Feest stove. I had plenty of food, though some summer sausage would have been nice. My food bag was crammed a bit full with all my supplies.
• Electronics. I have to confess to bringing along a light string. It worked well, but I’m not sure I want to waste time carefully coiling it up when it is below freezing. The Kindle App on my phone/GPS provided hours of reading to get me through the long dark nights.
• Navigating by compass. I find it much quicker to follow than the GPS, though I get the original bearing from my GPS software.
• Weather forecast. windy.com is a truly wonderful App. I screen grab and print out the summary to keep in my trail journal along with printed maps of the area I am in.

Lessons Learned

The first and probably most important lesson I learned was that hiking in temps below my comfort zone, that is, mid-twenties vs mid-forties, is fine. I’ve already slept out in my hammock in temps down to 15°F — and been too hot in the night, so that wasn’t a concern.

Short days mean not a lot of time hiking. Especially when it’s cold (I find), getting started is slow, as is packing up and setting up camp. It’s better to stick with clear trails and known campsites to speed things up and make setting up camp in the dark easier (watch me ignore this lesson on my next backpacking trip).

Crossing the near waist-deep Big Paddy Creek was cold and marginally okay with the temps in the late fifties. It took a couple of hours for my body heat to dry out my shorts. Had it been windy, I had a change of clothes available. But. If I’d looked harder, I could have found an easier place to cross where only my feet would have got wet. I need to check more thoroughly in the future.

Keeping my water from freezing is going to be a big issue if I continue to hike in sub-freezing conditions. I’m going to research insulated water containers, and how others deal with the issue. This wouldn’t be so much of a problem if there was more running water in the wildernesses. Heigh Ho! We are in a drought, and it is what it is.

Be more careful when hiking with your wrists through the wrist-loops of your hiking poles. I tripped on a tree root on a dry creek bed crossing. Once the immediate shock passed, I laughed out loud at my predicament. I fell on top of my hiking poles and was pinned to the ground by my wrists. It took me a few moments to work out how to get up. I’m lucky I didn’t break my hiking poles in the process.

I found using a compass to navigate in the forest is much easier than trying to use the GPS.

Winter clothing list

• Bedrock Sandals. My ‘go-to’ hiking huaraches.
• Wool toe socks. My feet were perfectly comfy at the 20°F temps I encountered. I also carry a spare pair in case they get wet.
• Undies. I take one spare pair of undies in case the pair I’m wearing get wet. I didn’t change them on this trip even though the pair I was wearing got soaked crossing Big Paddy Creek.
• Bass Pro waffle base layer top and bottom. I have Merino base layers, but I don’t use them nowadays as they are bulkier and heavier than the less expensive Bass Pro option. I also find that the Bass Pro base layers are warmer. Most of the time, I don’t use the top, but I carry it in case my hiking shirt gets wet.
• Columbia snow pants. I’ve had these for over ten years. The waterproof coating no longer works, but the wide legs make pulling them on over shoes nice and easy — an excellent advantage in cold weather.
• Running/Gym shorts. For that one warm day…
• Merino wool shirt (it was sold as a base layer). I wear it 24 x 7 while backpacking.
• Puffy jackets. I took along my well-worn orange Columbia down jacket, which I bought second (or maybe third) hand, and my black Backcountry down hoody jacket, which is really long and keeps my head and backside warm. I carry two down jackets because the Columbia jacket (14oz.) is more compressible and lighter than the other option, a fleece.
• Shemagh & Buff(s). I never go backpacking without them. Highly recommended.
• Bandana. Used as a handkerchief and hot-pot holder.
• Rain jacket. My lightweight Lightheart gear rain jacket I use this to layer up and keep the wind out.
• My latest hat. It keeps the sun out of my eyes, plus a hunter orange beanie — it’s deer hunting season — and another beanie for bedtime.

Will I go backpacking in sub-freezing daytime temperatures again? Yes, if I can find trails with running water and long enough hikes to keep me occupied during the day.