Check out this invaluable info from Jeremy. Most of this applies to our time at Hurricane Ridge, but these are GREAT rules to go by when packing!
People mostly evolved in an equatorial savanna environment, and winter at 5500 feet in the glacial Cascades is some climatic distance from that. We are not equipped for winter or even spring in that environment. Being unprepared is fine as long as you can turn around and stop doing whatever is making you cold, wet, and miserable, but if the goal is actually to accomplish something, then that's not in the plan. And if you're a long way from the van (or shelter) or you hurt yourself, then you're really stuck if you're unprepared. I've made a list of things you should bring when we go to the Hoh and Hurricane Ridge. Hurricane is predictably worse than the Hoh, but most of this is applicable in both places.
First, NO COTTON. If you wear jeans or sweatpants or khakis or something like that and they get wet, you will be colder than if you had nothing on - water is a very efficient conductor of heat, and you will never, ever heat the whole atmosphere with your body. A lot of people have to drive a lot of cars to do that.
You need these things:
1) warm hat: wool/poly. Most of the heat escapes from your head because you have good blood flow there to feed that big brain. Other places that loose heat fast are other places with blood flow, so a comprehensive approach to cold is to wear warm hat, warm socks, warm gloves, and warm underwear. It's worth noting, though, that you can still frostbite your feet with warm socks if you are wearing shorts - the heat never gets to your toes.
2) lightweight synthetic or wool long underwear top and bottom - polyester, nylon, etc. are fine. NO Cotton. These are to conduct water away from your body. You don't want to forget these because then you will have to borrow, and you really don't want to be borrowing someone else's capilene - it kind of has an aura all its own.
2b) In conjunction with 2 above and 3 below, it is nice to have a midweight synthetic or wool top that you wear when hiking, but can put on 3 when you stop if you're cold.
3) a warm fleece jacket or polyfill jacket for insulation. Down is not a good idea in the Olympics unless it has an absolutely water proof layer because it does not insulate when wet. We will probably get wet. This is to keep the heat in and also absorb some of the water your body heat moves through your long underwear. You want to be able to take it off and on when you get warm and cold - adjustable layering is wise.
4) waterproof, preferably breathable pants. This is to keep the rain and snow out. If it's nice, they can stay in your pack.
4b) synthetic hiking pants are probably the best bet for snowshoeing unless it's miserable out - breathable is better than water proof for pants unless the water is really coming down, or you're digging snow pits. We will dig a couple up at Hurricane, but I'll pick whoever has the best pants to do that.
5) waterproof, preferably breathable jacket with HOOD. this is also to keep the rain and snow and wind out. If you can't stand in the shower with this on and stay dry, you'll get wet in a rainstorm too. Try it. Your roommates'll think you're nuts. Make sure the water is COLD. You notice it faster.
6) socks, socks. Wool, liners, poly, NO Cotton. whatever but stay dry and blister free, and warm. Socks serve two purposes. One is to keep your feet dry and warm. The worse your shoes or boots the more and better socks you need, but you still always need good socks. The second is to keep you from getting blisters. A liner sock (very thin) worn under a midweight wool sock is the best blister prevention unless you have brand new boots, then not much will help except wearing those boots until either the boots or your feet adjust, usually some of both.
7) synthetic or wool gloves or mittens, preferably with a wind proof barrier. Keeps your digits warm, and they cool off fast. In wind blown snow and water, you really want a layer that stops the wind.
8) waterproof (or mostly) hiking boots. Tennis shoes won't cut it, and over the course of the week, they will start to rot. Group van, rotting shoes. Fun. Hopefully the footwear you bring to hike and snowshoe in has some tread on the bottom ( we may encounter ice!!), and when you get back to the van, you can pull a mister Rogers and trade the boots for a dry pair of socks and comfortable shoes that spent the day in the van.
9) sunscreen, sunglasses, lip balm, hat with a brim. Ever burn the inside of your nostrils before? It's possible on snow, and it hurts for awhile after you do it too. Think of what happens to sun that reflects off snow on a bright day. Some of it ends up hitting your nose. And at treeline, the atmosphere is thinner than it is down here, so more of that solar radiation is available to hit your skin. You burn easy up high, best not to chance it. The lip balm is also for wind, if we get it.
If you bring hiking SHOES, not boots, you will absolutely need to bring gaiters as well. Gaiters fit over the top of your shoes and the bottom of your pants to keep snow (or rock) out of your shoes. Gaiters are nice to have even if you have rain pants and hiking boots. If it's nice out, it's also possible to wear just the gaiters and not wear rain pants but just regular pants. But that's nicer than it normally is in spring.
10) water bottle. you cannot be warm if you are dehydrated. I drink at least 2 liters a day when I work outside, sometimes as many as 7 or 8 depending on what I'm up to. But you should plan on carrying at least a liter, at most two.
11) Snacks. Staying warm and happy requires some snacks, but not too many that are too sweet or you'll get cranky because you'll bonk if you forget to chase that handful of M&Ms and that slug of gatorade with a snickers. "Bonk" means your blood sugar gets low and you get tired, cranky, slow, and mad at the world). It's best to balance sugar and other sources of energy - protein, fat, etc.
12) day pack to carry the things from 1-11 you're not using at the moment, plus your camera, notebook, pen, and other stuff you might want to bring.
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