Food and Hydration Tips for Cold-Weather Hiking

You can practice good layering all you want but your body is your best chance at staying warm. Just like you feed fuel to a furnace you have to keep your body fed. This means consistently snacking and sipping water as you go.

Try packing you bag according to this philosophy. If you plan on eating, and pack smartly, you can easily reach food and water while you hike and won’t have to stop near as often to refuel. Also pack according to the snack and temperature. Avoid snacks with lots of pointless wrappers (you have to carry those out you know!) or snacks that become hard to eat as they get cold. Everyone loves a Milky Way until you break a tooth biting into one. Looks towards more natural snacks like nuts and cheese that hold up better to the cold temperatures and still pack some protein. No matter what you decide to bring the closer you keep it to your core the better chance there is you’ll be able to eat it.

The worst thing you could do is let your water supply freeze. I know we warned about reservoirs and thin mouthed bottles and if you said, “What do they know?” more power to you I guess. Regardless, If you decided to use a thin mouth or reservoir try searching for similar hose or bottle insulation. You should also sip often to prevent the water from freezing in the line and try blowing into your reservoir to keep the tube empty.

If you’re using a water bottle there are a couple more tips that can help you keep hydrated on the go. Think about a lake, what freezes first? The top or the bottom? Try flipping your bottle upside down to ensure your lids won’t freeze shut. Insulation sleeves also add an extra layer to protect your drinking water from the cold. Lastly, try packing warm drinks in vacuum bottles. This little bit of heat will go a long way to keeping your core temperature and spirits up. Plus, who doesn’t like hot chocolate? Just remember, don’t do it in your Nalgene or plastic versions.

Cold-Related Injuries and Illnesses

Being able to quickly identify cold-related injuries and illnesses is vital to your safety. Winter hiking exposes you to the elements like you haven’t experienced them before. Frostbite and hypothermia are both very real threats and your ability to identify and begin treating them can make a tremendous difference on their severity.

Frostbite

Frostbite is the freezing of healthy tissue due to exposure or extreme cold. It’s most likely to happen on small extremities like fingers, toes and nose or on exposed skin. Frozen tissue often dies and the surrounding tissue is damaged due to the lack of blood flow. It can cause extreme pain and even fester into gangrene. Frostbite afflictions are categorized in three ascending stages: frostnip, superficial frostbite, and deep frostbite. All three levels can look similar while frozen, so it can be difficult to assess the damage until after the skin has thawed.

Signs of Frostbite:

Skin is cold, pale, or even waxy

Red, white, bluish-white, or grayish-yellow skin

You may feel tingling, numbness or pain in the affected area

Clumsiness or muscle stiffness

Your skin can feel soft if partially frozen or hard if frozen

Blisters often form with superficial and deep frostbite after rewarming

Treatment of Frostbite:

Frostnip can be treated immediately by covering up exposed skin and slowly warming the affected areas. Try placing cold fingers in your armpits or use a partner to warm cold toes and other extremities. The consistent warm heat allows the affected regions to slowly be brought back up to temperature. Do not attempt to place affected areas under hot water and do not rub the cold skin. This violent and drastic change can damage the tissue.

If the initial treatment fails and skin blisters or peels it is time to see a doctor. It is likely you have superficial frostbite or deep frostbite and educated medical attention is your best chance at recovery. Again, avoid direct heat and rubbing of cold skin. Do not let any frostbitten areas refreeze, the tissue is very fragile and any chance of recovery can be mitigated.

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is caused when the body loses heat faster than it is capable of replacing it. Hypothermia also comes in three ascending stages: mild, moderate, severe. It begins when the body drops below 95 F (35 C). Hypothermia does not only occur in winter. It can happen anytime and anywhere, even inside your home. Age, medical conditions, dehydration, and alcohol use can all have an affect or your susceptibility. Stay warm, use proper layering, and try to stay dry.

Signs of Mild Hypothermia:

Shaking, shivering, or chattering

Minor clumsiness (eg. zipping or clasping bag)

Slow thinking, confusion, mood swings

Signs of Moderate Hypothermia:

Intense shaking, shivering, or chattering

Obvious change in coordination (e.g. tripping, falling, stumbling)

Obvious change in mental state (e.g. forgetfulness, anger, irritability)

Severe Hypothermia:

Shaking may stop due to exhaustion

Extreme deterioration of mental state (e.g. disorientation, irrational behavior)

Pulse may be faint or week

Flushed skin in infants or young children

Treating Hypothermia:

To begin treating hypothermia you need to immediately change the environment. You need to move the person away from what is causing the cold stress. If you can get them inside do so immediately, if you cannot, get them off the snow (pine branches or even packs work) and out of the wind. Immediately swap any wet clothes for dry clothing and make sure they are well insulated. Keep them fed and make sure they drink water. They will need energy to shiver and make heat. Making sure they have the fuel to do so is part of the process.

Taking the proper steps, it is possible for hikers with mild hypothermia to recover and continue with the trip. If you or your partners exhibit symptoms of moderate or severe hypothermia immediately seek medical attention and evacuate them from the situation. Begin the same steps for treating mild hypothermia until help arrives.

Preventing Frostbite and Hypothermia

Prevention is always a better option than treatment. Actively looking out for yourself and your winter hiking partners is part of the process. Proper clothing, gear and technique can only go so far. Use common sense and think about the following:

Start Warm:

It is way easier to start and stay warm than to get warm later. Using the proper clothing and layering approach you can easily maintain a consistent temperature. This is much easier than trying to warm up once you’re too cold.

Don’t be Stupid:

If you start to feel yourself getting cold check on yourself. Take a break and warm up, switch clothes, rehydrate, refuel, you name it! Do what you need to take care of yourself and make sure you’re comfortable and if you feel somethings wrong speak up.

Look Out for Your Buddies:

A good winter hiking buddy always keeps an eye out for their friends. Talk and ask how others are doing often. Make sure your friends are dressed and prepared appropriately. Don’t let them attempt portions they aren’t equipped for and watch their backs.

We hope you have a blast out on the trail and found some value in our Winter Hiking Guide. Did we miss anything? Are you planning on trying winter hiking? Have any good trails we should try? Let us know in the comments! We hope you’ll continue to follow along and as always, God Bless!