Winter hiking, it's not an extreme sport anymore!

How to start winter hiking

Nice butt slide! TrailToSummit.com

Since I have become completely addicted to hiking over the last couple years, I am struggling with how to fill the need through the winter. The more hikers I talk to about this the more I hear "You don't have to stop! Winter hiking is the best—the peace, the crisp air...and the butt sliding!" Sure, I snowshoe during the winter, but just on local trails—isn't winter hiking for extreme sports enthusiasts? I don't want to slip into an icy ravine or get buried in an avalanche, I have kids! I have read Not Without Peril! (Great book to help gain a healthy respect for the elements!)

Not Without Peril: 150 Years Of Misadventure On The Presidential Range Of New Hampshire Among the most dangerous mountains in the world, Mount Washington... this book offers extensive and intimate profiles of people who found trouble on New Hampshire's Presidential Range, from the nineteenth century through present day. Amazon

With a little practice and the right equipment, I am urged to continue hiking, even continuing with the 4,000 footers during the winter—not necessarily the steepest and longest hikes initially, but there are certainly plenty of New Hampshires' 48 left on my list! Count me in!

So, how do I start? What do I need? Thanks to the Internet and my hiking group friends, there is a wealth of information available.

Gear!

Having the right equipment goes without saying, and there are many experts out there—I tend to refer to the trusty sales staff at EMS now, ever since my daughter's toe trauma and the awesome service we received there fitting her new shoes. (Read my post: Two a Things I Learned from Hiking Monadnock for details!) Micro spikes are essential, as well as the right layers—dress like an onion!

Check out this helpful video! (Enjoy the British accent—makes everything seem more proper!)

Another go-to resource is Appalachian Mountain Club's (AMC) website: Outdoors.org, where you can find a comprehensive list of winter hiking/camping: "The following lists are recommendations for what you should carry in winter when going into the backcountry. For more detailed information on trip planning and preparation, as well as tips for safe travel, refer to the AMC Guide to Winter Hiking and Camping." 

Workshops

AMC also offers winter hiking workshops—free for members and $5 for non members. The workshops are typically a couple hours long, and are followed by a series of winter hikes: "Workshop will provide information on hike preparation, proper gear, hydration, nutrition, and more for winter hiking. Workshop will be followed by a graduated series of hikes from December to February."
Here is one near me, but check for one in your area >

Weather

Highly unpredictable and with full exposure above the tree line, the weather in the White Mountains is no joke! I always keep my hiking plans up in the air until a couple days ahead so I'm sure to get a current weather report by checking the Mount Washington Observatory report. This report gives me the worst case scenario for any of the NH 48, so I can plan for the worst and hope for the best:
Weather in the Whites >

My Plan

Gather information, grab my experienced winter hiking friends, and get out in the snow and build up gradually in difficulty. Winter in New England can be fun, get out and enjoy, I will!

“Getting to the top is optional, getting down is mandatory." Legendary mountaineer Ed Viesturs - I will follow that guidance for sure!

I'd love to hear about your favorite winter hikes! Leave me a comment or send me a tweet!

My nest might be getting empty, but my heart couldn't be more full!

Hey college students, what do you think your empty-nester parents are doing while you're away at school? Ever wonder how they feel with you away from home? Well, I never really thought college students would even have the time to consider that until I my own daughter shared with me that she would be interested in reading my blog—On the Edge of an Empty Nest.

Certainly, all relationships are different, and not every daughter is like mine, but it made me wonder, if my daughter is thinking about it, maybe others are too.

Going off to college or leaving home for the first time is exciting and scary for both parents and kids (young adults). As a single mom, it is certainly bitter sweet. For years it just been me and my girls. A close family of three who have been through a lot of emotional challenges and growth together. So as the time approaches that both my daughters will be off to school, I admit, I was thinking of my own feelings and not even realizing that my daughter was wondering how I was feeling about it too.

So, what do I want to share with my daughters about how I'm feeling as I face an empty nest? That I don't regret a single minute of being a mom! That for all the struggles and hard decisions I've made, I wouldn't take back any of it if it means not having you! I have learned to live my life with no regrets. Every day is a new opportunity. The challenges of yesterday only make me stronger and more grateful for today. The joy and satisfaction of seeing my daughters grow into amazing young women is like nothing I could ever have imagined. This is an exciting time to be your mom. To see you putting into practice all the life lessons I tried to teach you along the way. Certainly not always perfect—being a mom isn't easy, and you didn't come with instructions, but you are doing great and I couldn't be more proud. You know how to take care of yourselves, face adversity, and make healthy choices.

What more could a mother ask for? Well, we will see as we move down our independent paths. Today, I hope for you all the things I hope for myself—a satisfying and fulfilling life, abundant with love, peace, health and happiness—all the things we already have!

Life is all the little things (the good stuff) that happen while you are working on your bucket list!

My nest might be getting empty, but my heart couldn't be more full!

XOXO

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Did you know...?

Empty nest syndrome is a feeling of grief and loneliness parents or guardians may feel when their children leave home for the first time, such as to live on their own or to attend a college or university. It is not a clinical condition.

Is your parent is suffering from Empty Nest Syndrome?

3 Tips to help them cope:

1. Encourage them to pursue their own hobbies and interests.
2. Suggest they talk with their friends, family or therapist about their grief.
3. Ask them to try journaling about their feelings—or Blogging about them!

Parents going through empty nest syndrome can ease their stress by pursuing their own hobbies and interests in their increased spare time. Discussing their grief with each other, friends, families, or professionals may help them. Experts have advised that overwhelmed parents keep a journal, or go back to work if they were full-time parents. Wikipedia

Additional Resources

Worried about empty nest syndrome? Find out how an empty nest can affect parents, what you can do to prepare for the transition and how to cope. - Mayo Clinic

6 Ways to Transitions from Single Parent to Empty Nest: By Divorced Moms / Tools for Healthy Living - Maria Shiver

How to Overcome Empty Nest Syndrome, Filling the psychological void when your last child leaves home - Psychology Today

One way to fill the empty nest...

Find people with common interests!

So, I'm admittedly freaked out by the idea of online dating, but I have found a very rewarding way to meet new people without the pressure or expectations of online dating—Meetup! 

Meetup: Find your people

www.meetup.com/

"Find Meetups and meet people in your local community who share your interests."

For me, Meetup offers an alternative to online dating because it offers the opportunity to get out and be social and meet other people who have similar interests without the pressure to impress anyone. I can sign up and attend an event, even bring a friend if I want to, and enjoy the activity while getting to know new people. I am part of a couple different Meetup groups for hiking, but there are thousands of groups to join depending on your interests, everything from arts and eating to fitness and careers.

This is a photo from my latest Meetup hike—the summit of Mount Monadnock. These guys are helping me fill my soon-to-be empty nest—and most of them don't even know it! I have met some great people through this group, most of them I just meet once and enjoy their company for the moment—we chat along the trails, have lunch together on the summit, share aches and pains on the descent, then go on our separate ways. It's a very low pressure way to find connections with other people. Occasionally there have been more significant relationships that have come about this way, (that's another blog post entirely) but mostly just friendships. It helps me be social while I continue to work on myself.

I love this sentiment, and try to live by it:

A man once asked his father, "Father, how will I ever find the right woman?" His father replied, "Forget finding the right woman, focus on being the right man."

It certainly takes the pressure off of worrying about my future, and helps me keep the focus on the one thing I can control—myself.

Two things I learned from hiking Mount Monadnock

It was a crisp fall morning and under the groggy shroud of a 7am wake up call, my daughter and I were getting ready for our hike up Mount Monadnock. We had planned the day trip in preparation for our first overnight foray into the White Mountains the following weekend. We were both psyched. Sporting my new back pack and she her new boots, we departed with a friend, carpooling to join the rest of our Meet Up group at the mountain—sounds promising already, doesn't it! Well, I'm guessing if there are any experienced hikers out there reading this, they can already feel the pain that was in store—but you will have to wait, because it really was a beautiful hike!

We gathered with our fellow hikers and began our ascent. Our trusty leader, Michael, had planned a long scenic route for us—the most challenging trails up and long winding trails down through old growth forest carpeted in lush moss totaling 10 miles and avoiding the crowds. It was gorgeous! My daughter and I both reveled in the challenge of the steep rocky climb up Spellman—what a blast! I think we both smiled the whole way up! We did have to do some coaxing and guiding for one of our new hiker friends who was a bit slower, but we enjoyed taking our time under the guise of waiting for her.

After a nice break and some photo ops at the summit, we headed down the mountain joking and having fun about the proper way to pronounce the word "crevasse." (It must be the altitude, because I get punchy up there sometimes!) We weren't far below the tree line when I started noticing my daughter really slowing down. Stepping very carefully and wincing a bit with each step. Oh yes...remember the new shoes? Well they had been fine all day and I assumed we were out of the woods, so to speak, as far as having to deal with any break-in period, but no such luck. Even after tightening up her laces to keep her feet from sliding to the front as much as possible, it became painfully obvious that there was not enough toe room in her new shoes. Ugh! Here we were 5 miles up a mountain with only one way to get down—hike 5 miles down.

So, since you have never met my daughter, I will give you a bit of history. She's badass. When she was 3, she had to get stitches in her face after a "collision" with our dog's mouth—while waiting in the ER, with a hole through her cheek, she insisted she was fine and just wanted to go home. In high school, after being told of the tragic death of a friend right before having to play a big volleyball game, she collapsed in tears for a few minutes then realized she couldn't let her team down and pulled herself together to play her best set ever, then broke down again as soon as it was over.

Well, my daughter pulled some kind of amazing inner strength out that day to make it down the mountain one excruciating step after another. I will save you any more of the details except to say that once we finally made it back to the car, she gingerly removed her shoes and socks to reveal her big toenail had split across the middle and had ripped almost entirely off!

Yes, she's badass, but I knew that before we went up that mountain. What I did learn was:

1—Always get expertly fitted when buying new hiking shoes.

2—Be prepared with exit strategies especially when trying new gear. In our case it would have helped if we had a plan for an alternate/shorter route down; packed the old shoes as spares; and brought a knife to cut the toes off her new shoes.

Live and learn, right?

So, I'm sure you would expect that our big trip to the White Mountains that next weekend was cancelled. Well, even after totally traumatizing her toes, my badass daughter was insistent on not canceling! So a few days later, we went to Eastern Mountain Sports where we spent about an hour with Cindy—saleswoman/shoe guru—who diligently fit her properly with some awesome new shoes. (Salomon's for those of you wondering!) That weekend, we conquered our first 4,000 footers together with smiles on our faces! A trip we will always remember!

@AppTrials: All about shoes, arguably the most important piece of gear you'll take with you. http://t.co/pwfbIScxSt