Shoulder season has arrived in this part of the PNW! I went on my first snowy hike last weekend, and I think in Whatcom County it has turned to winter above 5,000ft. Hiked yellow aster butte and we needed all-wheel drive to get to the trailhead, many warm layers, and both micro-spikes and poles for the trail. Beautiful winter wonderland up there!
Gear talk
For winter hiking, I have a pair of Salomon winter hiking boots, Outdoor Research gaiters and Kahtoola brand micro-spikes, and I love my combo. If it’s raining or snowing, I’ll sometimes wear my REI rainpants with a light merino layer underneath, and their bell bottom hem act like gaiters.
For traction options, check out this article: https://www.backpacker.com/gear/kahtoola-exospikes-complete-winter-traction-trilogy
Weather
Before deciding on where to go regionally, and a trail, I try to do plenty of research. Some great resources for finding out conditions and things like avalanche forecasts can be found at the following:
https://www.weather.gov/sew/Mountainforecast
https://www.mountain-forecast.com/
Trail reports on https://www.wta.org/
~Be safe, carry your 10 essentials plus, and happy winter-y hiking!~